LeopikaWeek
by TheCastleOfLionsAndPaladins
Summary: I wrote this a million years ago, when I was in the Hunter X Hunter fandom. Felt like posting it again. It's basically an AU collection.
1. Yellow X Beginnings

**(AN: I honestly had no idea what I was doing with this story, but I hope you like it. I heard about recent deaths in the Manga, but I haven't read it so I don't know if this stuff is in character or not. Please don't hate me anyway.)**

"_Mom, what's the first thing that comes to mind when someone says the word 'Beginnings'?" Young Kurapika Kurta who'd been struggling with his English paper asked._

"_Endings." Suana Kurta replied, not looking up from the dishes she was washing._

"_Why's that?" Kurapika asked curiously, putting down his pen and looking at his mother._

"_Because every beginning usually ends something else, or can end something else I should say." Suana replied, then placed a finger to her chin in thought, "Then again, the words 'new' and 'bright' also come to mind."_

_Kurapika smiled and picked up his pen again, turning back to his homework, "Got it, thanks Mom."_

"_No problem, Pika." Suana smiled and went back to humming as she worked on the dishes._

...

Kurapika still remembered that conversation between his mother and himself after all these years. For every beginning, something else must have ended.

Pairo's fall from the cliff for Kurapika, marked the beginning of Kurapika's guilt complex.

His parents' marriage ending, marked the beginning of Kurapika's loneliness.

Kurapika's high school life with Gon, Killua & Alluka ending at graduation, marked the beginning of Kurapika's new life as a cop in training.

For a while, the beginning of most things were marked by happy things ending.

But let's see if we can't change that for Kurapika?

…

Kurapika groaned as he walked home that night. What a day.

Majitani the serial killer was still on the run; for an idiot, the guy knew how to make a fast getaway. Leroute was still missing somewhere in the system. Sedokan was still blowing hospitals sky high. And everybody's favourite, Johness the Dissector, had gone on another killing spree in the next state over, leading everyone to believe he was heading for this town next. It felt like the entire world was in shambles.

Not to mention the fucking Phantom Troupe were still at large, God damn them.

If Kurapika were a normal man, he'd be muttering about how much he needed a drink right now. Honestly though, all he could think about was fighting something. Anything honestly. Or passing out, that sounded nice too.

"Son of a bit-" CRASH!

Kurapika turned his head towards the sounds of cursing and bodies being thrown, expecting to see a fight possibly breaking out-

"Shit, that hurt like hell!"

-but it was just a ridiculously tall guy bumping into shit. While wearing a suit and looking drunk.

Kurapika really should just leave the guy alone. He was off duty. He had no responsibility for this stranger.

"Are you alright?" Kurapika called, walking across the street to the man.

The guy turned to him and his flushed face turned redder, "Oh, OH, did you see that?"

In an attempt to help the guy out, Kurapika merely looked around as he said, "See what?"

"Oh, ummm, nothing." The guy slurred, through the flush hadn't died down. He was definitely drunk. Or stoned. "Say, uhhh, do ya know where Juniper Road is?"

"On the other side of town." Kurapika replied, looking around; there weren't any clubs or anything like that in the area, so the guy couldn't have gotten drunk in one of those, "May I ask why you're drunk?"

"OH, me, drunk? I'm not drunk," The guy chuckled, then hiccuped, "I was just partying at the Dog House with my friends and they ditched me after we left."

"You were at the Dog House?" Kurapika asked for confirmation; he knew of that pub. Also on the other side of town, very good reputation and highly enjoyed by his co-workers.

The guy nodded, and hummed, "Just drinking the night away." He started laughing.

Kurapika sighed. If the guy was telling the truth despite being obviously drunk, then he'd likely been walking around in the dark in that state for hours. He wouldn't be able to walk for much longer.

"You mind if I take you to my house? Yours is on the other side of town and you look ready to crash." The blonde offered. God, he really needed to stop being so nice to people.

"Wha, really?" The guy slurred, then giggled and threw an arm around Kurapika's shoulders, despite their height difference of possibly 30cm, "Thanks a lot, Mr ummm…"

"Kurta. Kurapika Kurta." He answered, grabbing the man's arm and walking towards his house again, "And what's your name?"

"Leorio Paladiknight." The man, Leorio, chuckled and wrapped his other arm around Kurapika, nuzzling him, "You're really nice Kurapika. Really soft too. And really, really pretty."

Choosing to ignore the flush that was appearing on his face, Kurapika muttered a quick, "Thank you."

Leorio chuckled again, "Sorry, did I make ya blush, Kurapika? You're kinda cute."

Feeling his face burn, Kurapika didn't dare look at the guy, "You're drunk."

"Don't matter." Leorio added a final time, "You're still realllllly cute. And pretty. And your hair is realllly soft, like..."

Then he passed out and Kurapika had to piggy back the guy to his house, already making plans.

Kurapika would call in sick the next morning since he'd rather not have the man freaking out in his house if he woke up alone. Or throwing up on his carpets without knowing where the cleaning supplies were. Plus, the guy'd probably need a lot of paracetamol.

Why was Kurapika so Goddamn nice to people? Seriously, someone remind him.

...

Groaning as he started coming back to the land of the living, Leorio knew the second he woke up that he was hung over and he was hung over bad. Served him right for drinking with Hanzo again, the asshat always riled him up into biting off more than he could chew.

One glance towards the coffee table told him it was around 8am. Hang on a second though.

He didn't have a digital clock on his nightstand.

Hearing footsteps, Leorio looked up towards the source of the noise to see a complete stranger. Blonde, short straight hair, blue eyes, pale skin and wearing a baggy overall light outfit but Leorio could see it was a two piece thing. Definitely qualified for partner of the night material, but something about him made the doctor think this one was a little outta his league to have spent the night in bed together. He also didn't look like he'd had much of a good time last night. Shit, did Drunk Leorio try seducing this guy last night?!

Just thinking about it was making Leorio even more nauseous.

The blonde stranger set a glass of water and packet of pills aside, then turned to Leorio, placing his hand on the doctor's shoulder, "Hey, are you okay? Do you feel like you're gonna throw up?"

Leorio nodded and he felt his face turn green.

"I already have a bucket. Just sit up while I hold it and you can puke to your stomach's content, okay?" The blonde suggested, helping to push the man into a seated position.

Once Leorio was sat up okay and holding himself, the blonde reached for the bucket and put it within Leorio's reach. Vomiting was instantaneous and embarrassing; way to make a good first impression, Leorio, you puke in front of a gorgeous guy, way to go. It felt like they were there for hours, listening and watching the poor man wretch up his stomach, though Leorio knew they'd only been there a few minutes at best.

When Leorio stopped, the blonde lowered the bucket, "You think you'll be okay for a while."

"Yeah." Leorio groaned, "Shit, do you have some painkillers?"

"You're not having any until you rinse out your mouth." The blonde snapped, putting the bucket on the ground and handing him the glass of water, "Spit it in the bucket once your mouth feels a little cleaner. There's paracetamol on the mini-table to your left, take no more than one. I have several fruits, fruit juices, porridge and bread on hand if you want something to eat that'll help. Or if you aren't quite up to flavoured drinks or food yet, you can have more water. Give a shout if you need anything."

The guy straightened and started heading for the kitchen when Leorio murmured, "Wait."

Halting and turning, the blonde watched as Leorio set the water down on the table, "Why'd you do this for me, what do you have to gain? Just who are you?"

The blonde merely shrugged and smiled, "I'm just a decent guy who couldn't leave someone so obviously drunk to walk around in the streets all by himself, is all. My name's Kurapika Kurta."

Leorio smiled a little, glad he hadn't actually done anything last night (except speak, probably), "I'd say you're a little more than decent if you took me in. I know what I'm like when I'm drunk. I'm Leorio Paladiknight."

"I know. Drunk you told me." Kurapika added in, "So, you want any porridge? I've got honey, blueberries, strawberries, bananas and some nuts if you wanna add anything to it. I've also got milk, cranberry juice, apple juice and some coffee if you want it."

The doctor chuckled, "You are way too kind, Kurapika. I think I'll be good with porridge, honey and apple juice."

"Then that's what you'll have, just give me a few minutes to fix it up." The guy grinned and left Leorio alone in his living room.

Leorio also smiled and drank his water slowly. Kurapika sure was one hell of a guy, taking him in when he was hammered and probably being a shitty piece of flirting bullcrap. He was also definitely gorgeous, no denying that. Maybe if he managed to appear less like a drunkard and more like a human being worth spending time with, he might get to see him again.

…

"I'm on Lusko street?!" Leorio exclaimed in shock, staring at Kurapika.

The blonde nodded, "It appears you walked all the way here. I couldn't just leave you to collapse in an alley, so I took you in."

"But that's crazy, I mean," The dark haired man stared at his porridge (probably imagining his feet) in shock, "I'm not a drunk walker, I don't sleep walk. Hell, I don't even toss and turn at night!"

The cop put his chin in his fist, thinking, "You think you could have been seeking something out last night? Or someone?"

The man shook his head, "I don't remember looking for anything or having lost anything recently."

Kurapika bit his lip and thought hard. Could it be that…

"What's on your mind, Kurapika?" Leorio asked, quietly.

The blonde paused and took a moment to study the man. As he'd noticed last night, Leorio was ridiculously tall, but he hadn't noticed his weird sunglasses probably more for show than usage since they kept slipping down his nose, or his olive eyes, tanned skin and spiky hair. Honestly, he looked like an older version of Gon in a lot of ways.

"Why were you drinking in the first place?" The cop blurted out.

The man blushed, as if ashamed of the answer, "Well, umm, my friend just got engaged and insisted we all go drinking with him, his girl, our friends and her friends. One of my friends can hold his liquor like mad though and always eggs me on about being a light weight, so I ended up drinking more than I intended."

"I see…" Kurapika murmured to himself. So it hadn't been a party exactly, nor had he drunk out of sorrow.

"Don't change the subject though!" Leorio suddenly snapped, "You've got something on your mind about me and I wanna know what."

The blonde blinked at him for a moment, then sat up a little straighter, "How many people in the club did you know personally?"

"Uhhh, most honestly, it wasn't a busy night." The dark haired man blinked, then started listing names on his fingers, "Hanzo was the one egging me on, Pokkle's the one engaged, Ponzu's his fiance, Tonpa was being a dick, Hisoka-"

"I'm sorry, did you say Hisoka? As in Hisoka Morow?" The cop started at Leorio in shock; holy shit, if he's in town then-

"Uhh, yeah. Why? How do you know Hisoka?" The man stared at Kurapika in mild surprise.

Shit, he needed to get a grip, "We were schoolmates in high school. He was suppose to graduate long before me, but hung back for some reason until my class graduated."

At least, that was most of the truth.

"Huh." Leorio said in response.

Kurapika coughed into his hand, "Anyway, you're sure that you didn't meet any strangers that night, they were all people you knew well?"

"Well, I think there was one person." The dark haired man murmured, "One of Ponzu's friends, she had violet hair in a spikey ponytail and kept eyeing Hisoka the whole night, as if warning him she'd beat him if he did anything wrong. Any time I saw Hisoka look back at her, all he'd do was smirk and wave."

The blonde nodded, placing a facade of calm over his face; shit that sounded like Machi and she'd never go rogue, "Thank you."

"Can I ask why you seemed so concerned about this?" The man asked, "I mean, you got really tense when I mentioned Hisoka. I can get why, the guy is creepy as hell, but I can't help feeling like something happened between the two of you."

The cop blinked; how the holy hell had he seen through him?! He merely coughed and grabbed the now empty bowls, "It's nothing to concern yourself with. I'm sure he's forgotten about it by now, honestly."

If only life was that simple though.

…

The next day, when Kurapika walked into work, Melody was the first one to lift her head and smile at him, "Hey, Kurapika."

Followed by Basho, "Good to see you, man!"

Squala looked up from his paperwork, "Back already after calling in sick?"

"The boy's too stubborn to stay in bed." Baise applied her lipstick to her face.

Linssen only gave a nod as Tocino said, "Geez, the guy's pain and illness tolerance is off the charts."

"I'll say." Ivlenkov agreed wholeheartedly.

"Are you all better now?" Melody asked, voice gentle, "You're not pushing yourself, right?"

Kurapika smiled, seating himself in his desk chair, which was next to Melody's, "I'm fine Melody, really."

She narrowed her eyes, "There's something you're not telling me."

He chuckled, taking off and putting his jacket on the back of his chair, "There's nothing I can hide from you, is there?"

"What is it, Kurapika?" Dalzollene, their boss, asked as he came out from inside his main office, "Think you can tell us the truth?"

"Truth is, sir, I wasn't actually sick yesterday." The blonde explained, "But someone else was. I had to take care of him, or I'd feel guilty."

"But you don't live with anyone and you don't have any family. You don't even have a pet." Squala reminded him.

"You're right, I don't have family, or pets." Kurapika nodded, "It was actually a stranger."

"You let a stranger into your house?" Baise asked in mild surprise.

"Was it a drunk guy?" Linssen guessed.

The blonde grinned, "Yeah. He'd been out drinking with his friends to celebrate an engagement and got ditched. Somehow he walked from the Dog House to Lusko street and I guess I couldn't just leave him to collapse on the road."

Basho chuckled, "Jeez, you're almost as bad as Squala when it comes to drunkards on the street."

"That's different, Basho, geez, way to hit me under the belt." Squala pouted.

"So, what happened when the guy woke up?" Baise asked, working on her nails.

"The usual hangover stuff. He puked, I gave him water and painkillers, a meal to eat, we talked." Kurapika smiled, "It was honestly quite pleasant. He had a lot of things to say and was pretty nice to talk to. Turns out the guy's a doctor."

"Whoa, you looked after a hungover doctor?" Tocino asked, surprised.

"What kind of doctor drinks enough to get himself hung over?" Ivlenkov questioned.

The blonde grinned at them, a flash of teeth showing, "A competitive one who's easily irritated, it seems."

Everyone blinked, completely baffled. Kurapika never talked like that about drunkards he kept off the streets. He only mentioned them in passing; he never got into the details of why they'd been drunk, what kind of traits they had.

Just who had this drunkard been?

…

Next time Leorio saw Hisoka, was at an accidental run in when the clown was on a date. He'd tried to stay hidden, but Hisoka had eyed him out and called him over.

"This is my date, Illumi." Hisoka grinned that creepy little grin of his, "This is my friend, Leorio."

"Hi." Leorio waved awkwardly.

Illumi merely blinked at him.

The doctor gulped, feeling ever so slightly like he was being eyed as prey.

"Please, won't you sit with us, Leorio?" Hisoka asked, patting the spot next to him, "I'm sure Illumi wouldn't mind sharing me, all that much."

Illumi gave a nod. That was all.

Sighing internally, Leorio sat next to Hisoka, then remembered something, "Hey, Hisoka, did you go to highschool with a guy named Kurapika?"

Hisoka blinked, then hummed in interest, "Why yes. Charming young man, worked extremely hard, had lots of potential, skipped two grades. The boy could have gone anywhere he wanted in the world, I'm sure, but last I heard he chose to be an officer of the law."

"I see." The doctor mulled this over silently.

"I knew Kurapika." Illumi spoke up, "My younger brothers consider him their friend. He occasionally comes over or they go to his house for dinner. He's incredibly intelligent and observant. His skills are wasted on the police."

"Why do you take such an interest in the boy, Leorio?" Hisoka questions, smiling, "Wherever did you meet him?"

The doctor considered lying, but knew right away Hisoka would see through it, "He found me after you lot ditched me at Ponzu and Pokkle's engagement celebration. Who was that girl you were with, by the way? The one with the pink hair who kept glaring at you, didn't smile once all night."

Hisoka blinked, "Oh, that's Machi. The poor girl's had a crush on me for ages, but could never admit it-"

"She went to highschool with Hisoka and babysat him most of the time." Illumi cut in, "She considers him rude and impulsive. Machi didn't consider herself Hisoka's friend but hung out with him because they'd been members of the same club. She also has a girlfriend."

"Oh, thank you." Leorio looked at the watch on his wrist and scowled, "Crap, I gotta get back to work. See you later guys!"

With that, he bolted back to the hospital, hoping neither of them would kill him. Those guys scared the crap out of him.

…

Leorio wasn't the only one who ended up with info on Kurapika without talking to the blonde. Or rather, the opposite happened to Kurapika when he ran into Gon.

"Kurapika!" Gon called, running down the supermarket line to greet him.

Kurapika put down the meat he'd been looking at and smiled, "Hey, Gon. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you, just shopping for Leorio." The boy grinned.

The cop blinked, "Leorio?"

"Oh, he's my cousin! He's a doctor who works in the city's hospital and is only 2 years older than you." Gon giggled, "He's always been like a big brother to me, even when he was bogged down with studying, he always made sure to have a little bit of time for me! Now that he's a doctor though, he always forgets to take care of himself so Mito-san and I end up shopping for him and stuff a lot, but we don't mind! He's the coolest cousin ever and I always wanted you to meet him."

"I already have, I think. He wears glasses, doesn't he?" Kurapika checked.

"He does!" Gon gasped, "How did you meet him? Where? When?!"

"He was drunk the other night and walked onto my street. I couldn't just leave him to drop dead, so I took him into my house for the night." The blonde explained.

"Wow, it's almost like it was fate!" The boy suggested.

"Like you and Killua, then?" Kurapika grinned.

Gon nodded, blushing a little, "Yeah, I think so. I hope the same is true for Leorio and you!"

The cop smiled, "I hope I can be his friend, too."

…

It seemed fate did indeed intend for the two to meet once more.

"Kurapika!" Leorio called, spotting the blonde as he walked around the hospital.

Kurapika looked at the sound of his name, face brightening, "Leorio!"

The two met one another halfway, surprise but not unpleasantness upon both their faces.

"What are you doing here?" Kurapika asked.

Leorio raised an eyebrow at him, taking in the cop's battered and bloody appearance, "Didn't I tell you I was a doctor last time I saw you?"

"Last time I saw you, you were recovering from a hangover. A rather bad one at that." The blonde smirked, "And I was under the impression that doctors aren't suppose to get hung over."

"It was a celebration and my friends would've thought I was sick if I didn't take Hanzo up on his challenge." The dark-haired man explained, "But what are you doing here? You look like you got in a fight."

"Uhhh, yeah," The cop blushed slightly as he sheepishly rubbed his arm, "I'm afraid I got injured during a chase. My co-workers insisted I visit the hospital, though it was hardly even a bruise."

"Let me see." The doctor requested.

"You don't have to, Leorio, it's already been taken care of, honest." Kurapika insisted.

"Here, it's Dr. Paladiknight to you and I've got the sneaking suspicion that your idea of 'taken care of' is different to mine." Leorio stated, holding a hand out, "Come on, just show me."

The blonde sighed heavily and lifted his bloody sleeve, revealing an arm littered with bruises, cuts and a most definitely still bleeding injury that had been sloppily bandaged.

"This is your idea of taken care of?!" The doctor exclaimed, "Your arm looks like a pig that barely escaped the butcher!"

"I heal pretty fast, Leorio, I'm fine." The cop insisted.

"You're bandages are bloody, Kurapika, if they were fine you wouldn't be losing blood." The doctor grabbed the blonde's wrist, gently but firm, "Come on, let's get you fixed up, you reckless asshat."

"Asshat?!" The blonde exclaimed, "How am I an asshat, I was just doing my job?!"

"I don't think 'doing your job' includes ignoring your body as it bleeds out right in front of you. You're an asshat because you're not taking care of yourself or letting anyone else do it for that matter. You're in a hospital, it can't seriously be that hard to get you treated." The dark-haired man dragged him into a room, "Now, take a seat on the examination table, okay?"

Grumbling, Kurapika complied with Leorio's demand, pouting as he did. The doctor couldn't help but think it was cute, though his annoyance wasn't quenched. But being annoyed won't help him get the job done.

Leorio took a deep breath, closed his eyes, let it out and smiled at Kurapika, "Think you can take your sleeve and those bandages, off, please, while I get some disinfectant? Once you do that, put your hand over the injury and raise your arm to lessen the blood loss."

Kurapika blinked and nodded, doing exactly as the doctor had said. Leorio smiled and grabbed the disinfectant and a cloth to clean the wound. He sat on the bed with the cop and warned him of the stinging, then started cleaning it. The blonde smiled as he held his sleeve out of the way, noting as Leorio looked after the wound with a rather intense look of concentration on his face. He was being pretty gentle too. It was kinda embarrassing on some level; Kurapika was a cop, he wasn't made of glass. But on the other hand, it felt kinda nice being treated so gently. Kurapika couldn't really remember a time someone had been gentle with him.

Leorio sighed, "Aww, man, that's gonna need stitches."

Kurapika froze, "Stitches?"

The doctor analyzed the blonde, "Kurapika. Are you afraid of needles?"

He didn't say a word.

"Is that why you were hiding?" Leorio asked, softly.

The blonde shifted in his seat, refusing to meet the doctor's eyes.

Leorio smiled softly, gently asking, "What can I do to help? Besides not stitching it."

Kurapika finally looked at him, surprised.

"Do you have any needle coping mechanisms? Like a hum or action you do to keep you calm? Is there anything I can do to help?" The doctor offered.

The cop continued to look surprised, but then he smiled and looked at his feet, blushing a little, "It's a bit silly, but I'd hum a lullaby with my Mom whenever I needed anything needle related. She told me she'd sing it to me all the time whenever I was crying when I was little, according to her, it always got me to calm down. I haven't hummed it in years though."

"Would you like to hum what you remember? Or would you like another song maybe? I'm not much up to date on what's on the radio, but I can hum a lot of other songs." Leorio explained.

Kurapika gave a sunshine smile, "The lullaby was kinda a family tradition song that belonged just to us. I don't think I could ever forget it. And I don't mind sharing. Like I said, it's been a while since I hummed it. I kinda miss it."

"Go ahead then. I'll get the stuff ready." Leorio stood up and looked through the shelves for what he'd need.

The cop smiled and hummed that old tune his mother had taught him to play on the violin, flute & piano almost before he was even in middle school. The tune was very calm but it reminded him of sadness in ways. While in other ways it reminded him of windy nights. It was a funny old song. But it was his family's. And he'd protect it, even if they couldn't hear it anymore.

The doctor listened to his patient humming the beautiful melody, memories coming to mind of old times when he still believed the world was a good place with good people who'd always get to survive while the nasty ones went under. Back before Pietro died.

Leorio smiled bitterly. Those had been some good times. But they were in his past now, he had to focus on the present and the guy he still hadn't repaid for taking care of him while he was drunk and hungover. The guy who also happened to be a gorgeous cop way out of his league, but can't a man dream? Leorio was only mortal.

Kurapika was still humming when he turned around, eyes closed and smiling softly. The doctor also smiled as he neared, ensuring his footsteps were audible as not to startle the blonde too much. He tapped Kurapika's arm three times to warn him, then started working on the injury. Leorio also noticed himself humming the song along with the blonde; which was weird considering he found it tricky to remember any music, let alone something he'd only just heard.

The doctor didn't bother questioning it though. He just worked on getting those stitches done as quickly as possible without fucking up.

"All done. Put a fresh bandage on whenever it gets dirty or wet. I'll prescribe you some antibiotic ointment, put more of that on when you're changing bandages, too." Leorio stated, grabbing some ointment and placing it on the wound, "Don't scrub or soak it for 48 hours, but once that time is up, you can gently clean it to remove the crust. If your skin gets red, swollen and itchy, don't worry, that's normal. But if it gets painful or warm; could mean you have an infection." Finished with the ointment, the doctor started applying a bandage, "If the wound gets pusy, red streaks appear or you get a fever, it's likely that you'll have an infection, so keep an eye out for that sort of thing. But you should be fine if you put the ointment on every 24 hours with fresh bandages." He sat back from Kurapika and smiled, "Unless you have any other injuries, you're good to go."

The blonde smiled as he stood up, stretching a little, "Thanks very much, Dr. Paladiknight."

"Ya know what, I take it back, you should call me Leorio." The dark haired man chuckled, "That sounds so weird coming from you."

"Really? I think it sounded just fine." The cop grinned, "The title suits you."

The doctor blinked, "You think so?"

"Absolutely." Kurapika explained, "You worked efficiently but you were gentle. Your hands were steady and you did your best to make sure I was comfortable, even though I was afraid of needles. You never said anything that might have upset or offended me, other than the asshat comment in the halls, which I suppose I deserved. You come off as an old grouch, but you're quiet kind. I don't think I ever met such a fine doctor."

Leorio's face was cherry red, so he focused on organising stuff instead of facing the blonde, "That's very kind of you, Kurapika. Just, try to stay out of trouble, please? Also, let your boss know about your arm, alright? I don't care if you need the hours, or whatever, he's gotta know to ensure you don't do something too stupid."

"I'll try to keep my head out of trouble." The cop chuckled, "But no promises."

"Why were you slashed up, anyway?" The doctor asked, finished organising, "Who were you chasing?"

"You'll find out if you read the paper within the next few days, I'm sure." The blonde said, slightly smug.

"I read the paper every day though." Leorio reported, handing Kurapika a small paper bag, "Antibiotic ointment and bandages. Look after yourself, okay?"

Kurapika smiled once more as he took the bag from Leorio, "Okay."

He turned to leave, smiling-

"Oh, and Kurapika."

The blonde paused, turning back to Leorio, "Yes?"

"I kinda slipped my number in that bag too, ya know, encase something happens with the stitches or you just wanna talk." Leorio reported, "Mental and emotional health is just as important as physical health."

"I'll make sure to call you at some point then. Thanks, Leorio. I appreciate it a lot." Kurapika thanked him, "I mean that."

"Show me your thanks by looking after yourself." The doctor ordered, jokingly.

"Will do!" The cop called as he walked out the door.

With that, Leorio was alone in this little examination room that just hummed with both the song that had graced its presence and the equally as beautiful patient.

And further down the hallway, Kurapika was soon joined by Melody, who he then told about his encounter with Leorio.

"Maybe Gon is right and it is fate." Melody mused.

"Maybe it is." Kurapika smiled, looking up at the sunset-sky.

If this was fate, Kurapika was enjoying it for once, so far. He hoped things would last. He sincerely did.

…

Machi sat on the park bench, faking bordem as she tensely waited for the informant to arrive with their tabs on Kurapika. If anything had happened to her-

Shizuka sat on the bench, taking out a knitting kit from her bag, "I have the report on Kurapika's actions in the last 6 weeks."

"Do tell." Machi encouraged, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"Of course." Shizuka started knitting, "A month ago, Kurapika chased down and arrested Majitani. He didn't go down easily though and got in a bad stab wound and a few minor cuts. He got treated by Leorio Paladiknight in the hospital. It appeared the two knew each other and have exchanged numbers. They've been texting each other since then, not going more than 12 hours without getting something or sending something unless they were told that they'd be busy. It appears Kurapika is very fond of him."

"A doctor, huh?" Machi mused, "What could you find out about him?"

"For one thing, Hisoka's been in his friendship group for a while. They all went drinking 5 weeks ago to celebrate an engagement. You were there." Shizuka informed, "Fresh out of the academy, he only got all his qualifications and other stuff 8 months ago and has been working at the city hospital for about the same amount of time. He hasn't been given many responsibilities yet because he's still considered new to the work."

"How long has he known Kurapika?" She flipped a page in her book, "I can't imagine it being very long."

"It hasn't." Shizuka stated, "They met when Leorio drunkenly stumbled onto Kurapika's street and he decided to take him in. He looked after him in the morning, then they had no contact for 5 days. They bumped into each other at the hospital where Leorio gave him his number and about an hour later Kurapika texted him. The two have been texting for the last few weeks, and have met up face to face about 8 times, 2 times on accident. All of Kurapika's coworkers, even his boss, seem to have noticed his possible infatuation."

"It hasn't even been 2 months and they've only met up about ten times. I don't think they can be infatuated just yet." Machi grunted, "But from the sounds of it, they're well on their way to it."

"They've planned another meet up for tomorrow. We could ambush them." Shizuka suggested.

"I'll let the rest of the Troupe know about it. We'll discuss the fine details at the hideout tonight and you can give me the rest of your report there." Machi stood up from her seat and started walking away.

"Got it." Shizuka walked the other way.

And to an outsider, it would have looked like they'd never said a word to each other.

…

Kurapika couldn't calm his skitterish mind no matter what he tried, he just kept running and running. He reached the hospital eventually and went to the front desk immediately.

"I'm here to visit Leorio Paladiknight." The blonde panted, "Is he okay to visit now?"

"Yes, he's on the fourth floor, room 405." The receptionist answered.

"Thank you." With that, Kurapika was dashing once more, up the stairs, through the halls.

Once he reached room 405, there was a nurse outside the door.

"How's he doing, ma'am?" He asked.

The woman took one look at him, in uniform and looking a little panicked probably, and smiled, "He's going to be just fine, Officer. He was beat up pretty badly and a couple bones broke, but nothing that won't heal with plenty of rest and care. Considering what we found with him, he got off fairly easy."

"What did you find?" The blonde asked.

"You mean you weren't at the crime scene?" The nurse looked puzzled.

"No. I was on duty in another part of town. I only knew Leorio was in the hospital because I'm friends with his cousin who got the call. He told me his family had already visited so it was okay for friends to see him now." Kurapika's eyes narrowed, "What was found, miss?"

The woman looked very upset so the blonde tried to soften himself a little with a smile, "I only want to know so I can better understand his situation. Leorio is a dear friend of mine and I'm somewhat protective of the people I care for."

"Well, if you're his friend, I'm sure he would have told you anyway, but, there was a message in blood." The nurse stated.

Her next words turned his blood to ice.

"It was a spider with a skull on it's body. Someone had drawn the Phantom Troupe's sign."

…

That night, Kurapika chased down Hisoka for a little "high school reunion", for old time's sake. Hisoka agreed completely, promising to bring his "friends" as well. Kurapika said he'd be bringing "friends" too, if that was okay. Hisoka of course agreed.

They met at the river bank that lead to their old high school if you followed it far enough.

But they both arrived alone.

"I thought you said you were bringing friends." Kurapika stated once he arrived on the scene.

Hisoka shrugged, "I could say the same of you, Kurta boy."

"Don't patronize me, Hisoka." The blonde snapped, "Where are the Spiders?"

"Long gone." The redhead grinned, "They flew the coop when they heard Officer Kurta was in town."

"How come I got an eye-witness stating that Machi was seen with you in a shopping mall earlier today?" The cop stated, "I'm sure that if the Spiders really did leave, they would've been gone before then. And I'm sure they would have taken their most talkative member with them to avoid him spouting out their whereabouts. So I ask again, where are the Spiders?"

The clown grinned.

Kurapika dropped to the ground just in time to avoid Machi's flying kick. He rolled to avoid Franklin's bullets, breaking into a sprint. He picked up a large stick on the ground as Nobunaga closed in on him with his own sword, clashing with the man, then breaking off from him. The blonde used the stick with both hands to hold Shizuka's vacuum off, refusing to break under it's force and it's owner's strength. He shoved it away just in time to avoid one of Phink's punches, then dropped the stick to take him, dodging and meeting his punches head on. He broke off and dropped again to avoid Bonolenov's stupid ball from knocking his head off his shoulders. He cartwheeled away from Feitan's flame thrower, not pausing for a second.

Clapping caused the mayhem to finally end and Kurapika stood up as the Spiders all gathered around their great leader, Chrollo Lucifer.

"You appear to have gotten better, Kurapika." Chrollo remarked, "It's quite fascinating how, even in this tiny town, you've still grown so much."

"Where are Shalnark and Kortopi?" The blonde called, "Why didn't Hisoka attack as well?"

Hisoka giggled, "Why, I killed them of course."

Kurapika spun and stared at him in shock, "What?!"

"It was only a matter of time. And you know the only reason I joined the Troupe was because I wanted to fight everyone. But, neither of them could survive the challenge." The clown frowned, "It was such a shame, too, I know you disliked those two the least. But at least Uvogin will have his boyfriend back, eyy? Wouldn't you agree, Kurapika?"

"I wasn't the one who sent people under ground, Uvogin's death was not my fault." The cop hissed, "Don't talk to me as if I had any part to play in murder."

"You were the one who imprisoned him, though. And lead Pakunoda into a trap." Feitan hissed, "I should torch you both where you stand."

The entire Phantom Troupe looked like they were in complete agreement.

"I wasn't the one who pulled the trigger on her. She did." Kurapika defended himself.

"But Feitan, then you'd just be giving in and letting me win by giving me what I want." Hisoka chuckled, "On the flip side, if you all attack me at once, you have a chance of defeating me. Ahh, it's such a predicament isn't it?"

"You're disgusting, Hisoka." Kurapika snarled.

"Oh, but haven't I always been this way, Kurapika?" The clown frowned, "I'm hurt you'd say such cruel things to me."

"Kurapika, join us." Chrollo offered his hand, "We can take Hisoka down, with our combined strength."

Kurapika glared at the man as if he were poison, "You killed my parents, cousins, grandparents, uncles, aunts, my best friend and his family. You're insane if you think I'm going to join you."

"Oh, then how about joining me, Kurapika?" Hisoka giggled, "It'll be full of fun times, lovely kills and brutal battles."

"I'd rather do this." The blonde flipped both parties off.

Spot-lights shined on both the Phantom Troupe and Hisoka, guns were drawn, nets were tossed, hands shackled and with that, the night ended with the murderers behind bars.

…

When Leorio woke in the hospital, he was surprised to see Kurapika walking into the room. He was also surprised he was in the hospital to begin with.

"Oh, you're awake." The stress and worry lines eased a little on the blonde's face, "That's good."

"What happened?" Leorio asked, "You look like someone tried to destroy your life and they almost got away with it."

Kurapika blinked, then laughed softly, "I suppose that's the simplest way of putting it."

Leorio frowned, "Kurapika…"

"Let's worry about you first, okay? You're the one in the hospital bed with a few broken bones, not me." The blonde insisted, "What's the last thing you remember?"

Leorio closed his eyes and thought. That call from Machi saying Hisoka was injured but couldn't go to a hospital. Heading to the place and not finding so much as Hisoka, though Machi was waiting, "One of your school buddies, Machi, punching me square in the face."

"Who told you Machi went to highschool with me?" Kurapika asked.

"Hisoka. They'd been in some school club together, apparently." The doctor reported.

"I see." The cop murmured to himself, "Leorio, what do you know about me?"

"Uhh, I know you went to the high school in town, where you became friends with my cousin Gon and his friends, Killua and Alluka Zoldyck, who all hold you in high regards as the Mom Friend. You knew Hisoka and Machi, but Hisoka never told me if you were friends. I also accidentally talked to Illumi Zoldyck, who said you were pretty gifted academically and your talents were wasted on the police." The doctor then said things he'd learned first hand, "You're scared of needles and hum a song to keep you calm. You probably have a high pain tolerance. You appear to like fruit. You're pretty kind too. But since you're an officer who gets into fist fights with the people he's after even if they've got knives, I'm guessing you're pretty reckless and don't have much concern for yourself. A part of me also thinks you aren't the type to openly admit his mistakes unless they hurt people you care about deeply. You're witty and talking to you is a lot of fun. You always have something to say. You're your own kind of interesting. But most of all, you're Kurapika."

The blonde smiled bitterly, "So you don't know why this happened to you."

"Huh?" Leorio blinked.

"So you don't know this is all my fault?" Kurapika made fists in his lap, "That the Spiders wouldn't have looked at you if it wasn't for me."

"Hold on, Kurapika, that can't possibly be your fault!" The doctor protested, trying to sit up, but he only winced.

"Don't sit up, please. You might hurt yourself even more." The cop advised, "Also, I'm afraid I feel you deserve to know the truth and you probably should be lying down for that. Might make you hate me when I tell you. Or pass out."

"Okay? I don't think it could actually be that bad, but okay." Leorio settled himself down and smiled jokingly, "What's this dirty little secret that's the reason for my beating?"

"To put it simply, I killed members of the Phantom Troupe without joining. They didn't like that." Kurapika summarized, then shifted his position, "It started in high school. Back then, the Phantom Troupe were no more than a gang that terrorized the local area but somehow never got caught. Their identities were a secret, though I had my suspicions. Those suspicions turned out to be correct; the Phantom Troupe were in my school and I knew them all personally.

"Hisoka Morrow, a creep who loved fighting and staring at the younger student's asses. Chrollo Lucilfer, a proven Satanist. Nobunaga, a samurai nut. Uvogin, an embodiment of fighting wild man. Shalnark, a manipulative genius who dated Uvogin. Pakunoda, a girl who loved guns and memories. Machi, emotionless needle lover. Kortopi, copy kid. Shizuka, scatterbrained cleaner. Franklin, a big guy who likes guns. Feitan, a heat obsessed goth who literally speaks his own language. Phinks, fist throwing punk. And Bonolenov the mummy.

"Once I realized they were the Phantom Troupe, I just did my best to ignore them and warned the people I cared for about them. But they knew I knew and so attacked my friend, Pairo. He fell over a cliff, something he's already once done because I nearly died. I was angrier than I'd ever been before. I caught Uvogin and attempted to take him to the cops, but the Troupe came after him. Uvogin wasn't willing to let me get away with that, though. He came after me alone, like a bloodhound on a mission to tear me to pieces. We had a brutal fist fight. He broke my arm in the middle of it, though I managed to use some chains to stop him. The cops came and took him to a holding cell, but Uvogin refused to be held down. He poisoned himself.

"The Troupe felt I was to blame for this and took my family as well as Pairo's hostage. In retaliation, I kidnapped Chrollo. I'd asked some officers to bug my phone for when the Troupe would contact me, which worked. I got my family and Pairo's back safe and sound, while the woman who made the exchange, Pakunoda, shot herself before she could be taken in. The very next day, my family and Pairo's died from the same poison Uvogin had. They never even got the chance to go to the hospital.

"I was scared. If the Troupe killed my family and Pairo's just because of Uvogin, what would they do over Pakunoda's death? I begged the officers to keep the people around me safe, but they weren't bodyguards so they did nothing. Legals came to take me to an orphanage since I still wasn't legally old enough to take care of myself, but a very distant uncle of mine, Izunavi, came to look after me. He was a retired officer who taught me everything I needed to know to protect my friends.

"He taught me how to wield a gun and how to shoot to kill. He taught me how to harness and control my rage. He taught me how to fight, how to make it in the underworld. He even taught me how to get another gang in the neighborhood to act as bodyguards to my friends without paying. Still, I knew the Spiders would come after me eventually. Or I would be after them. So I did the only thing I thought I could. I joined the police after I graduated, working my way up the chain until I reached the files on the Phantom Troupe, who had gone global. I prepared myself everyday for the next encounter and kept my ties with the gang turned bodyguards strong but invisible. Most of them turned over a new leaf and now work with me in the police force. Some decided it was too much hassle and fled the city.

"When we first met and you told me about Hisoka, it was the first time I'd heard that name in 10 years. I was frightened and thought it'd be best to avoid you, to make sure you wouldn't become a target. But I couldn't stop myself. Leorio, you're the kindest person I've met in a long time. You're brutish and boorish, but you were so considerate and inspiring. You turned out to be funny and charming, in your own way. It didn't take long for me to realize we were friends. And that perhaps I was falling. I couldn't stay away and that made you a target to them.

"I didn't think of asking anyone to protect you because I was careless and thought that Hisoka wouldn't allow you to get hurt. I bet your life on an assumption and I'm sorry it ended with you in this hospital bed. I take full responsibility for your injuries and any threats you may have had tossed your way. The Phantom Troupe and Hisoka are behind bars now, but I'm not sure what their next move will be, though I highly doubt they'll stay prisoners for long. They'll be after me again if that's the case and target people once more. I'm sorry, but I must g-"

"Hold that thought and let me guess it." Leorio interrupted, "You're leaving because I'm gonna be targeted by the Phantom Troupe? Or because you're scared I wouldn't wanna see your face ever again because of this?"

Kurapika gasped and looked at him in shock.

"So it's the second one, huh?" The doctor questioned.

The cop lowered his head, unable to look his friend in the eye. Leorio sighed and sat up, grunting as he did.

Kurapika looked a little panicked, "Leorio, you should be lying dow-"

"No, I should be telling you the truth and how I feel about this." Leorio snapped, "Now listen!"

The blonde went quiet, blinking.

"So what if I got beat up by the Phantom Troupe cause I was friends with you? That doesn't change the fact that I care about you! You're still Kurapika to me; stubborn, witty, annoyingly gorgeous and reckless Kurapika. So what if you got the Phantom Troupe at your throat?! I'd fight 'em all with you if that's what it takes to get you to stay! Besides, even if you do leave, what do you think I'm gonna do, or Gon's gonna do?! What do you think any of your friends are gonna do, Kurapika?!" The doctor continued, "I know I'd chase you down and smack you for being stupid! And I doubt you being away will make the Troupe think you're done with us, even if they do come after you! During the time I got to know you, I found out that you have a major guilt complex and I'm here to tell you right now that this is not your fault, it's the Spiders'! So don't you dare leave, or I'll pummel you into next week!"

Kurapika blinked at the man, then burst out laughing, tears in his eyes.

"Hey, don't laugh, I'm being serious here!" Leorio whinned.

The blonde kept laughing and laughing. The dark haired man stopped pouting and just sighed at the man, fighting a smile.

"You done being stupid now, Pika?" The doctor asked, "Because it's not a good look for you."

The cop whipped at his eyes, chuckling, "I guess it isn't. Though it looks great on you, Leo."

"Was that an insult I heard?!" Leorio fake gasped, "Oh, how you wound me, Officer! How can I go on with my life knowing the great Officer Kurta thinks I'm stupid at all times?"

Kurapika laughed, "I'm sure you'll managed, Dr. Paladiknight. You survived a run in with the Spiders after all."

"Guess you're right." Leorio shrugged, "It's not a total loss if it got you smiling again."

"I suppose it isn't. Though, honestly, I find you aesthetically pleasing pretty much all the time. You are a young man in your prime." The blonde admitted.

"Oh, well thanks I guess." The doctor blushed as he spoke the next words, "You're pretty attractive too, just so you know."

"I appreciate the compliment, Leorio." The cop looked at his watch, "I guess I should be going though."

"Really? What time is it?" Leorio asked.

Kurapika shrugged, "1am or so."

"What are you doing visiting my room at that hour?" The doctor asked, bewildered.

The cop blushed this time, "I guess I was hoping you were still asleep and I could confess my sins and feelings without judgement."

"Feelings?" Leorio questioned.

Kurapika realized he'd said that and his blush deepened, "That I still cared about you and stuff, even though I was leaving and ummmmmm….." He grabbed for his hair in frustration, "Shit, of all times, why'd my words fail me now?"

"If words are failing, I don't mind actions." Leorio rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I mean, if you're comfortable using actions to convey however it is you're feeling."

"You sure about that?" The blonde asked, sitting on the bed with Leorio, "You might not approve of those actions after."

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it." The doctor shrugged.

"If you're sure." The cop murmured.

Kurapika moved in closer so he and Leorio could embrace, but he held back. He slotted his fingers between Leorio's in one hand and leaned forwards. Leorio gulped slightly and leaned towards Kurapika, squeezing his fingers back. The two neared one another, noses touching, faces leaning, breath mingling. There was but a centimeter between them-

That was closed with a kiss. Kurapika's bottom lip captured by both Leorio's lips while Kurapika help Leorio's top lip hostage. They kissed with their eyes closed, bodies inching closer, hearts racing like mad.

It felt a lot like heaven.

…

"Hey Kurapika," Melody called once she and the others were back from their lunch break, "it appears you have a visitor."

"What?" Kurapika asked, looking up from the paperwork he'd been doing all day, "What's this about a visitor?"

Basho chuckled, "It's your boyfriend, buddy."

Blushing, the blonde looked at him in shock and happiness, "Leorio's here?!"

"Yep, hangover guy was definitely down there." Baise confirmed, "You were right, he does look like an older version of your friend Gon."

The blonde asked in annoyance, "What's he even doing here? I'm pretty sure he's suppose to be at work right now."

"He's got a little gift for ya downstairs." Baise shrugged, "I'd go get it if I were you."

Kurapika grit his teeth, "But Dalzollene needs me to work on this case for him, Leorio knows it's important."

Basho snorted, "You don't even take breaks to eat half the time, Kurapika, 'cause you're working on a case the boss gave ya. I think you can afford to get away a couple minutes to chat with your boyfriend."

Groaning, the blonde stood up and grabbed his jacket, calling over his shoulder as he ran out the door, "For the last time, he's my boyfriend, not an excuse!"

All he heard in response was laughter and sarcastic agreements. Geez, those guys were dicks!

Back in the room though, all Melody could do was smile, "I'm so glad Kurapika has Leorio now."

"Yeah me too." Basho chuckled, "The guy totally makes Kurapika happy, which puts him a good guy in my books."

"I noticed." Baise stated.

"I'm not the only one who's been hoping they got together the second he mentioned hangover guy, right? I mean, first time he mentions him, his eyes are all shiny and stuff, like he was the most interesting person Kurapika'd ever met." Tocino said, "I'd say that's shipping material."

"True. He also started taking his breaks again when Kurapika got texts from that guy. We'd have to force feed him ourselves if we wanted the moron to take a break, which half the time wasn't worth the effort." Squala reminded, "Leorio's definitely been a booster to Kurapika's health all 'round, honestly."

"That is true." Linssen stated. "He also always has that same look on his face Squala does whenever Eliza comes up."

"He'd hardly ever respond to his own name if he's head deep in a case, but someone mentions Leorio and he snaps up like a fish outta water." Ivlenkov grinned.

Melody smiled, "I just hope the two will continue to make each other better. I'm sure they will."

…

Once he reached the bottom stairs, Kurapika took a few minutes to check himself over after he spotted Leorio in the lobby. His shirt was tucked in, hair looked fine, his jacket didn't look like it'd just been thrown on after being in a heap. Kurapika would say he was good to go.

"Oh, Kurapika!" Leorio called once he spotted him, getting up from his seat and meeting him halfway.

Kurapika gave his boyfriend a smile as they neared each other, "Leorio, it's good to see you. How are you today?"

"I'm fine, thanks." The man gave him the box he'd had in his hand, "Also, this is for you." The cop took it with slightly hesitant hands as the man added, "Gotta make sure you're eating right after all."

Kurapika looked inside the box and found a couple of sandwiches, some crisps and a box of apple juice, "What made you think I'd skip lunch today?"

"Oh, well, I don't know really." Leorio shrugged, "Perhaps it was the off-hand remark you made about work being more important than your stomach. Also the fact that Melody told me you'd been skipping lunch a lot since Johness the Dissector came into town. You really should take better care of yourself, Pikachu."

"Yeah, yeah," The blonde scoffed, teasingly, "Says the man who I met when he was drinking too much to even remember it."

"That was a one time thing." The dark-haired man added.

Kurapika shook his head fondly, then smiled at the taller man, "Thanks a lot, Leorio. It's kinda endearing to know you'd decide to visit me on my day off when you should be sleeping."

"Hey, I'm a doctor, it's my job to look after people." Leorio reminded him.

"Not today, it's your off day." The cop added in, cheekily.

"Well in that case, then since it's my off day and I'm just plain old Leorio, it's my job to look after the people who I care about." The doctor replied.

Kurapika laughed, "You're insufferable."

"And you're a workaholic." Leorio teased.

"Hypocrite, you're the doctor looking after people on his off day." The blonde stated.

"Ahh, but that's because you're my boyfriend, you see, so that doesn't really count." The dark-haired guy added.

The cop grinned and looked around, blinking in surprise, "Since when were we outside?"

"Since we started talking. I kinda dragged you to the park across from the station. Seriously, you need a lot more Vitamin D in you than you're getting." The doctor lectured, "Plus, being in nature can help the mind to look at things from another angle. I heard you were struggling a little in your latest case, which is probably also a reason for the missed lunches."

Kurapika looked around from his spot on the ground in surprise, spotting a rose bush with yellow roses, a lake a little while off, blue skies with a few puffs of white, bright green grass under his legs, some children flying a kite while some adults spoke on the benches. It was a wonderful, peaceful setting, perfect for eating lunch and enjoying a friend's company in.

"Leorio, thank you." The blonde smiled at his friend, "I mean that from the bottom of my heart."

The dark haired man blinked, blushed and turned his head away, "It's no big deal, seriously Kurapika, it's just what I do for the people I care about."

The cop continued to smile at his partner, then opened the lunch he'd been so kind to bring him. Honestly, Kurapika had forgotten his breakfast today because he'd accidentally overslept (stayed perhaps a little too late at the station again), all he'd been able to eat all day had been a snack from the vending machine in the lobby. A proper meal, even if it was just sandwiches and crisps, was just what he needed.

He could probably use the sunlight too, it felt pretty nice honestly. Made him a little sleepy. Which was really weird, cause yeah okay, Kurapika had been up late a lot recently, but he almost never got sleepy during the day. Tired, stressed or snappish yes, but almost never sleepy. Last time he'd been sleepy during the day was in high school.

By the time he'd finished eating the meal Leorio had gotten him, his body felt way too heavy to move from this spot. The sun on his face, Leorio right next to him, his stomach feeling satisfyingly full for the first time all day….

Kurapika yawned, "Sorry. I guess I'm a little tired."

Leorio grinned at him, "Take a nap then, Pika. I'll call Melody to let her know you might be a little longer."

"But I got a job to do." The blonde protested.

"The paperwork will still be there when you wake up, nobody's gonna die if you take some time to rest properly. No one's gonna mug you, either." The dark haired man chuckled, "Don't even try to protest, cause I'll think of some way to knock you down."

The cop yawned again, "Geez, you're persistent."

"Only when it comes to the beautiful ones who haven't said no yet." The doctor winked.

Kurapika laughed as he lay down, "Okay, I'll get some sleep. Don't shoot me, 'kay?"

"Please," Leorio chuckled, also settling down on the grass, "as if I could. You'd kick my ass before I could even touch the gun."

"Damn," The blonde yawned, "right."

The dark haired man's face softened, "Just go to sleep, Kurapika."

"Okay." The cop murmured, "I'm countin' on you, Leo."

The doctor smiled, "Glad to hear it, Pika."

With that, Kurapika's vision faded to black, his mind shut down and his final thoughts were of Leorio.

...

Kurapika still remembered that conversation between his mother and himself about beginnings after all these years. For every beginning, something else must have ended.

Pairo's fall from the cliff for Kurapika, marked the beginning of Kurapika's guilt complex.

His parents' marriage ending, marked the beginning of Kurapika's loneliness.

Kurapika's high school life with Gon, Killua & Alluka ending at graduation, marked the beginning of Kurapika's new life as a cop in training.

For a while, the beginning of most things were marked by happy things ending.

But that changed.

Leorio's entrance into his life, marked the beginning of some very happy things indeed.

Kurapika's heart finally beginning to heal after Pairo's death.

The end of the Spiders.

A wonderful relationship that lasted many, many years, with both ups and downs.

But most of all, it marked the beginning of a new chapter in their lives that they could write together.


	2. Green X Exploration

**(AN: Now I'm doing an AU where there's no Kurapika but everyone is still a Hunter, the Bermuda Triangle is right next to the Dark Continent and basing it on this post: **** post/148816763272/viledreamer-what-if-kurtas-originated-in-the#notes****. FYI, I haven't read the Dark Continent arc, what I know is based on the HXH wiki alone so please excuse my bullshitting. Bold speech will be Kurta, normal is English.)**

Leorio was not the adventurous type. Never had been, never will be. But when your little cousin asks you to go on a trip with him and his best friend, what can you do but say you'll be there. And Leorio never broke promises to Gon unless someone else forced him to; that very rarely happened though, so, yeah.

That's the story of how Leorio wound up on a private boat with Gon and Killua as they sailed over the Bermuda Triangle, looking for any new phenomena to discover. Leorio was skeptical that there would be anything but sea life this far out, but Gon was so sure and so determined, he had to see for himself before calling it quits and going back home. Plus an adventure into the Bermuda Triangle had always been something on his bucket list.

"Anything on the radio, Killua?" Gon asked, excitedly.

Killua, who was being the captain, shook his head, "Nothing, I'm just getting static and white noise. I'd expect this, honestly, but that means we can't get in contact with anyone, I'm afraid."

"So we're cut off?" Leorio asked, "What if there's an emergency or something?"

"It'll be fine, Leorio, Killua's a great captain, he won't let anything happen to us!" Gon praised.

Then sirens started wailing.

"What the?!" Killua yelled, flipping some switches and checking some things, "I can't get control of the boat! Something's jammed everything!"

"Aww, crap, I knew something would happen." Leorio groaned.

"Isn't is exciting, Leorio?!" Gon cheered.

"You're out of your mind, Gon!" Leorio and Killua yelled at the same time.

The boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh screw this!" Killua got up from the cockpit, "We have to prepare for a pretty rough landing, guys, something's bringing us in fast towards the shore. Brace for impact!"

Everyone ran into the chaired area, strapping themselves in together. Everyone assumed the brace position.

"Hey, Killua, wouldn't we have a better chance of survival if you stayed in the cockpit?" Leorio asked.

"Weren't you listening to me, I said I got no control over the boat, it's gone dead!" Killua yelled over the sirens.

"Hey, guys, we just gotta stay calm." Gon called, probably smiling, "We can do this, I know we can."

The two stopped bickering, both thinking hopelessly, "_I hope you're right, Gon._"

…

The crash was lots of fun. They all survived, the boat didn't go up in smokes and most of it survived too. Leorio managed to get his briefcase full of medical things, Gon rescued the food and Killua could get the boat working well enough to call for help at least.

Bad news is they landed on the Dark Continent. Enough said.

"We're gonna die here." Leorio moaned.

"No, we're not." Killua growled, working and reworking the wires.

"No one's going to save us."

"Probably right about that. This is the one place my folks would never come get us."

"We'll probably get eaten alive."

"Maybe. I'll make sure to gut anything that swallows us, though."

"We'll probably get attacked by some crazy wild man with no understand of human sympathy."

"That could be interesting, but what makes you think it'll be a man? Who says it'll be a woman, or someone nonbinary? I mean, half of the cultures in our world have no concept of gender, what makes you think these guys will? If any people live here at all, that is."

"What if they use us for human sacrifice or something?"

"What makes you think they'd waste meat asking for the God's help?"

"How did humans start doing that in the first place?!"

"Who knows? History was full of crazy nut jobs."

"Ya know, you're not really making me feel better."

"And your whining isn't amusing anymore, nor are you helping me with the boat, so I suggest getting out before we argue."

Leorio huffed and sat up from his seat, muttering as he walked about in that hunched way he always did. Outside, Gon was sitting on top of the boat in the crow's nest, humming happily as he looked around.

"Hey, Leorio, isn't this exciting?!" Gon asked once he spotted his cousin.

"Exciting for you, maybe!" Leorio called up, looking around worriedly, "Aren't you worried some wild animal or plant or something will get us?!"

"But look at the view!" The boy grinned.

"View?" The doctor climbed the ship, muttering as he joined Gon, "This I gotta see."

He looked around and was a little surprised. For a place called the 'Dark Continent', it was pretty beautiful. He could see gorgeous greenery for miles around, starting just a little bit after the sand met the dirt. Beyond the trees, there was a large lake of hopefully fresh water that he could see some animals drinking from; they didn't look much different than the ones from Whale Island. There was a few rocky mountains shrouded in fog.

Admittedly, Leorio was a little bit excited to see what it was all like.

"Hey, cousins!"

The two looked down to see Killua was poking his head out from the door, "We need more fresh water, we lost it in the crash! We gotta go find more!"

"I can see a lake from here, Killua, it's north just a little while off!" Gon called down, "Leorio and I will go there to get some more water!"

"No, we're all going together! I'm not letting one of us get separated from the other two!" The captain insisted, "No exceptions!"

Leorio and Gon nodded.

…

The trio were wondering through the woods now, Gon using his nose to find the lake. They were each holding a large water canteen as they walked. They travelled in silence, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. What they didn't realize was that they had it already.

Gon stopped, putting a hand out. Killua stopped, then so did Leorio.

Gon pointed forwards and the two looked through the trees to the clearing, crouching down to try and hide themselves better. Leorio was very, very surprised at what he was seeing.

It was a person. A proper, real, living person, with clothes, a haircut and everything.

Gon started shuffling forwards, beckoning they followed him. Killua and Leorio did, getting a better view of the person by the lake.

They looked like a woman with curvy hips and small stature. Her body was covered in a raggy dress that hid her feet, so no one knew if she had shoes or not. Her pink hair was in one ponytail and from the looks off it, she was using one of her hands to cup the water and bring it to her face, most likely for drinking.

Leorio tried to get a better look-

GROWL

-but a hand covered his mouth while another kept a blade to his throat.

It felt like whoever it was was trying to talk to him, threatening him by the sound of their voice. Only he felt like he was hearing the voice in his head, saying stuff he didn't understand.

Next thing he knew, the world was darkening, Gon and Killua were in the same situation and he was no longer aware of what was going on around him.

…

When he woke up, it was to the sound of something being grinded. He groaned and looked to his left to see Gon and Killua were out while a brunette boy about their age hovered between them. On his right was a blonde kid, not much older than Leorio but way shorter and he was the one grinding the stuff, whatever it was.

The brunette boy had medium brown hair, light skin and maroon eyes. He wore a maroon tabard decorated with a yellow-colored hem and a few symbols in yellow on it. He wore a white, baggy, long-sleeved shirt and pants that looked the same. His dark/pale lavender shoes reached his ankles.

The blonde kid had medium blond hair, light skin and green eyes. He was wearing a blue tabard decorated with an orange-colored hem and symbols, a white full-body training suit, and periwinkle Chinese style flats. A single, drop earring ornamented with a ruby was in the boy's left ear.

The blonde glanced at him and spoke something in a language he didn't understand.

"Sorry, what?" Leorio asked, trying to appear as confused as possible; if they couldn't communicate with words, there were always facial expressions.

The blonde looked at him funny, turned back to the front, sighed and went back to his grinding.

Leorio groaned, and turned his eyes upwards, "This is just great."

He saw the blonde looking at him out of the corner of their eye, who then smiled a little, then focused on the grinding again.

…

Kurapika stood watch over the room the outsiders were being kept in that night. The blonde sat on the edge of the platform that kept the hut safe from the monsters of the night, legs kicking aimlessly. He listened to them conversing in their odd language, trying to understand and pick up on the meanings of words and phrases based on their tone of voice.

The one with white hair seemed to love being sarcastic about everything.

The short one with spiky hair sounded very positive and cheerful.

The ridiculously tall one with spiky hair sounded annoyed all the time.

He'd look in every now and then to watch them talking and whatever the sight was, it was usually very entertaining.

"**You're still up?**"

Kurapika turned his head to face Pairo, "**Uh-huh. They were nearly caught by one of Chrollo's people today, we can't leave these outsiders alone for a second. We could learn a lot from them and maybe even find a way off the Dark Continent. I mean, they got here somehow, so we can obviously get off somehow.**"

"**I hope you're right, Kurapika.**" Pairo stated, looking up at the moon, "**I wanna see the world and meet new people. I want our people to be safe from that tirent again.**"

The blonde smiled at his friend and turned his eyes to the moon that hung high over the ocean, "**Me too, Pairo. Me too.**"

…

The next morning, Leorio, Gon and Killua had finally decided on a plan of action. They were going to try to communicate with these people, whoever they were. If that didn't work, they'd keep trying while doing their best to cover Killua's ass as he occasionally escaped to fix their chip. Keep up the act that they were helpless hostages trying to talk until the boat was fixed and then they'd row like hell.

The door opened and the blonde one from yesterday came in, three bowls in hand and some sort of soup in them.

The blonde spoke something in what sounded like a welcoming tone of voice as he set the bowls down, smiling at them.

Gon smiled back and waved, "Good morning!"

The blonde blinked at the greeting.

Killua give a thumbs up and smiled, "Good." He then made a big show of waking up, stretching, rubbing his eyes and pointing to the rising sun, "Morning."

The blonde looked to where he was pointing and it appeared he understood the greeting, since he turned back around and tried to repeat it with a wave, "G-Good mor-morning."

Leorio smiled and pointed to himself, "Leorio. Le-or-i-o."

"Le-or-i-o?" The blonde repeated, pointing to himself in confusion.

Leorio shook his head, pointing to himself, "I, Leorio." He pointed at Gon, "That, Gon." Then to Killua, "Him, Killua."

The blonde looked at each of them as they repeated their names while pointing to themselves, then he seemed to realize what they meant.

"Le-or-i-o." He pointed to the doctor, "Leorio."

Leorio nodded with a small smile.

"Ki-llu-a." The blonde pointed to the captain, "Killua."

Killua nodded, face neutral.

"Gon." The blonde pointed to the adventurer, "Gon."

Gon nodded, smiling brightly.

The blonde smiled back then pointed at himself, "I, Kur-a-pi-ka. Kurapika."

"Kur-a-pi-ka." The three repeated, pointing at their new friend, "Kurapika."

Kurapika smiled brightly and nodded eagerly. He turned towards the door and called something in his native language, then the brunette from yesterday came in.

Kurapika smiled brightly and pointed at the others, calling their names at each one.

"Him, Pai-ro." Kurapika pointed at his friend, "Pairo."

Pairo smiled and hugged Kurapika around the neck.

Gon, Killua and Leorio smiled back.

…

"**What's that, Kurapika?**" Leorio asked.

Kurapika smiled and showed the golden winged lizard pendant with the red rubies off, "**It's the Golden Pendant of Protection. Since my clan are descendants of the Kurtasaur lizards, may of us believe our fully reptilian ancestors are watching over and protecting us in the heavens, one spirit for each Kurta. But there is a tradition in the clan where you offer this pendant to the person you want to protect most in life. Some consider the offering of this pendant a promise of raising a family together, while others consider sharing this pendant with someone as a pledge to share your soul with that person, eternally, in a romantic fashion. It deviates between families, but the main point is, someone giving you it means they want you to be safe and happy.**"

"**Wow, that's pretty cool. Sounds like our equivalent of a wedding ring.**" The doctor crouched down to get a better look at it.

"**Wedding ring?**" The native questioned.

"**Yeah.**" Leorio made a circle with his finger and thumb then placed his other ring finger through the loop, "T**he ring goes right round the finger and is usually gold, thought some people get them coloured in silver or even have their names engraved in them. Some families pass the rings down, some don't. They're given on the day of the wedding celebration, where one person waits for the other to walk down the aisle towards them while their friends and family watch at the side lines. There's usually a high priest or someone like that to join the two people, they kiss at the end and there's a party to celebrate. First dance always goes to the married couple and when the party is over, the couple sneak off to umm, celebrate on their own, we'll say.**"

"**Huh?**" Kurapika blinked, then his eyes widened as he blushed, "**Oh! I, I see what you mean.**" He chuckled awkwardly, then smiled, "**So, what is marriage like for your people?**"

"**Oh, well, it differs between couples.**" Leorio explained, "**Sometimes, one person stays at home to keep the house okay, look after the kids and stuff, while the other person works all day to bring home the food and stuff. Other times, they both work in and outside the house together, pulling their weight to keep themselves fed and happy and just look after themselves without having children. Some couples work out really well because they know that talking is really important, while some couples struggle because they aren't good at communicating their feelings or compromising.**"

"**I see, that would make sense. It's the same with a few couples in my clan. If discourse arises, we hold a Lovers' Talk.**" The blonde explained, "**Each individual will explain how things are going in their partnership individually to the same audience and that audience will include three people; a stranger, the couple's closest companion and the high priest. They listen to both sides of the story and talk among themselves to give each individual a target to help improve the partnership. Then they give the couple a target together. If things have not improved after a single lunar cycle, then the partnership will be considered over.**"

Leorio snorted, "**Our version of that is called Marriage Counselling and it usually takes much more than a lunar cycle to fix the problems. There's usually a lot more yelling than listening, but it's suppose to work pretty well if both parties let it.**"

"It's surprising how similar our cultures are, isn't it?" Kurapika chuckled, "I always expected an outsider to be nothing but boneless customs that wouldn't do much good on the Dark Continent."

"I always expected anything from here to be some savage animal with no thoughts or feelings, just instinct." Leorio smiled, "I'm really glad I was wrong though."

"Me too." The blonde smiled.

"So, what's your opinion of Partnerships?" The doctor asked.

"I'll only tell if you do after." The native snickered.

"Done deal, now tell me." Leorio insisted.

"You're quite impatient, aren't you, Leorio?" Kurapika chuckled, then made it so his back was to the wood while his legs dangled, "I believe Partnerships are an important part of every person's life. Partnerships are usually the only reason a Kurta came into the world, so they're important right then and there, though some people do have children without forming a Partnership. And whenever a Partnership is formed, there's always a celebration that involves the entire clan, so everyone's at least been to one. The people there always look so happy and that's something I'd like to have someday. I don't think I'd like raising children very much, but having someone to always watch my back sounds nice."

"Yeah, I see your points." Leorio nodded, looking up from the sky; at some point, he'd copied Kurapika's position, "Personally, I think Marriage would be a pain. First of all, there's the big, fancy celebration, then there's the honeymoon booking and other stuff. I don't think you need all that stuff to prove you love someone or at least are gonna be a part of their life for a while. You don't need to be married to raise kids either, though that's something I would like to try. I can get why some people think it's so amazing and stuff and I completely respect those who chose marriage. I just think it's a little bit excessive to be together."

"When you put it like that, you make it sound like it wouldn't be a lot of fun." The native observed.

"Yeah, well, I've helped out with some of my friends' weddings before and they were pretty stressed out by it, thought they were very happy to be with their partners. They always said it paid off on the day, but I'm not so sure if I'd be able to feel the same." The doctor explained, "Plus, being a doctor, I'd probably be too busy to have much time for a partner. I'd probably feel like crap because I wasn't there for them enough."

"I hear you. In the clan, I knew a herbalist who has no time to spend with other people unless they were injured. That person tried a relationship with someone just as busy as them though; chief's son. It worked out well." Kurapika explained, "Since they were both busy a lot, they didn't feel guilty about not having the time to be together. And when they did get time together, it was pretty clear they would've started a Partnership if they could have."

"Did?" Leorio asked, "Did they get together, eventually?"

"They sure did. The herbalist got an apprentice who managed to take half the work of their hands while the chief's son became a huntsman, renouncing his title to give it to his little brother. The two are still together today and still make each other happy." The blonde smiled.

"Who were they, to you?" Leorio asked, turning onto his side, "Like, how did you know them?"

Kurapika smiled up at Leorio, also turning to his side, "They're my parents."

"Whoa, seriously?!" The doctor asked, sitting up in shock, "That makes you unofficial royalty or something, right?"

The native chuckled, "I suppose it does."

The two turned their sights to the horizon. Unaware they were being watched.

"Are they gonna kiss or what?" Killua asked.

"I hope so, I hope so!" Gon giggled behind his hands.

"Quiet, they'll hear you." Pairo covered their mouths.

…

As you can see, Kurapika and Pairo turned out to be very fast learners, often coming to understand words from conversations Killua, Leorio and Gon would have. They turned out to be awesome teachers too, teaching them Kurta in a few weeks.

Their plan to get Killua to the boat for fixing on occasion failed miserably, since it turned out Kurapika and Pairo weren't the only Kurta in the vicinity. And these others were a lot less friendly. It took both Kurapika and Pairo's abilities of persuasion to convince them that they hadn't seen anything worth killing (the trio apparently qualified).

Once they could have conversations with each other, proper ones, Kurapika explained that there was a recent power struggle in the clan and a man named Chrollo had become the chief. Many people fear that the new tribe leader will cause the clan to break apart, since he was cruel and unjust. His bodyguards, 12 soldiers he trained himself, didn't have very good reputations either. There were already many cracks in the bonds that had once been so strong among the clan and many wanted to escape somehow.

They knew they couldn't get off the Dark Continent on their own and even if they hide somewhere else, they knew this new leader would find and kill them.

So, Kurapika pleaded that the others help them all escape safely. And the trio agreed to help.

…

"**No, you turn it that way to make it go this way.**" Killua instructed, moving the steering wheel and his other hand at the same time.

"**Ahh, I see, thank you, Killua-san.**" Zushi smiled as he copied the pale boy.

"**Now you're getting the hang of it, Zushi.**" The captain patted him on the back, "**Keep up the good work.**"

"Osu!" The fighter responded, using his favourite word from the foreign language. It had been the first one he learned and taught to everyone else he felt it was safe to share with.

Killua smiled then went out on deck to check out what was happening there.

"Ready," Gon called in anticipation.

"Set," Retz giggled.

"GO!" The two yelled, running across the deck, cloths in hand, laughing as they went.

Killua scowled slightly.

"Feeling jealous, boy?" Bisky asked, leaning her arms on his head.

"No, now get off me!" Killua swatted at her.

Bisky laughed and danced away, taking a look at the crow's nest where Leorio and Kurapika were.

"**And this is a telescope.**" Leorio pulled one of out of the compartment they attacked to the crow's nest mast, "**It's used to see details at a great distance.**"

"**Interesting.**" Kurapika held the devise in his hands, looking it over, "**It's rather heavy for an object it's size.**"

"**I guess so. You look through the smaller part.**" The doctor pointed at it.

"**Thank you.**" The native nodded, then used the telescope to look towards the ocean, then to the forest.

Leorio smiled as he watched Kurapika's fascination grow. The guy's passion for discovery was contagious, it made the doctor want to explore the Dark Continent even more.

"KURAPIKA! LEORIO! WE GOT TROUBLE!"

The two looked down in alarm, spotting Pairo arriving on a Luco Bird, a creature that resembled an ostrich, only it could fly and it had a meat eater's beak.

Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.

"**Pairo, what's wrong?**" Wing asked, a water container in hand.

"**Chrollo, he,**" The boy panted as he dismounted from the Luco Bird, "**he knows about the ship, about Gon and the others. He's, he's coming to take it and kill everyone associated with them!**"

"WHAT/**WHAT?!**" Everyone screamed.

As everyone began to panic, Kurapika grit his teeth, put the telescope back and whistled loudly.

That caused everyone to stop.

"Killua, is the ship sea-worthy yet?" The blonde yelled.

Killua cupped his hands as he shouted back up, "She's ready to go, but she needs to get closer to the ocean or she'll never float!"

Kurapika changed the direction he yelled, "Gon, how are our supplies?!"

"We're low on everything! Water, food, medicine! We haven't got enough to support everyone!" Gon called.

"**Shit.**" Kurapika cursed, then yelled to everyone, "**SNEAK INTO THE VILLAGE AND TAKE AS MUCH FOOD AND MEDICINE AS YOU CAN CARRY, BUT DON'T GET CAUGHT! SOME OF YOU NEED TO GATHER MORE WATER! I'LL DISTRACT CHROLLO AND HIS PEOPLE! MOVE OUT!**"

Immediately, everyone went to work. Zushi, Retz, Wing and a group grabbed their Luco Birds and headed for the village, while Bisky and her own group of people prepared the birds to carry a lot of water. Killua and Gon went about making one last assessment of the boat to get her sea worthy. Kurapika jumped from the crow's nest and ran for his bird.

"KURAPIKA!" Leorio yelled.

The blonde paused.

"DON'T DIE, OKAY?! I MEAN IT!" The doctor ordered.

The blonde smiled-

"Not a chance in hell."

-and jumped, landing on his bird and then taking to the sky to get to the village.

Leorio stood there stupidly watching him fly away for a few moments, then sighed and climbed down the crow's nest to help Gon and Killua.

…

Kurapika intercepted Chrollo long before he could get near the beach. His mindless drones didn't go anywhere without him, so if he just kept Chrollo here, he could stop them all, the bodyguards and the loyals.

"Kurapika. So nice to see you again." Chrollo grinned, "How are our guests?"

"They're fine and don't want anything to do with you, Chrollo." The blonde stated, "Neither do I."

"You do realize that you're the only one with the chief's blood left, right?" Machi stated, "Why don't you reclaim your honour and fight Chrollo or something? You could then do whatever you wanted with the clan."

"I would never subject my people to the kind of tyranny you have performed, Chrollo. Many people in the clan agree with you, while many don't and that has divided us. You forced those who disagreed with you to comply with you, holding their loved ones at risk." Kurapika called, "I refuse to let this go on any longer!"

"Oh? Do you plan on killing him, then?" Nobunaga asked.

"I don't plan on doing that either. I plan to do whatever it takes to stop you in your tracks though." Kurapika dismounted his Luco Bird.

He walked towards Chrollo, who also dismounted. The blonde took off his tabard, tossing it to his Luco Bird, who caught it on it's neck. Chrollo smirked and removed his Kurta gabs as well. The two walked towards one another.

"Are you ready?" Chrollo asked.

"Are you?" Kurapika responded.

Chrollo smirked.

Kurapika closed his gentle, blue eyes-

A ring of fire enveloped the two of them and their skin and hair started hardening, scales overcoming their body, a spiky tail sprouting from both of their training suits. While Kurapika turned gold, Chrollo turned onyx.

-he opened his eyes and they burned crimson.

"MATCH!" Machi cried.

The two brawled.

…

By midnight, down at the sure, they were ready. They had as much food, medicine and water as they could carry. Every Kurta who wanted to escape the Dark Continent was on board. The ship was in the water. Some Luco Birds were on board to help. There was but one problem.

Kurapika wasn't back yet.

"Old man, you know we can't afford to wait any longer." Killua spoke up, looking out towards the land. "If we don't go now, we don't get to go until tomorrow night and by then it might be too late for these people."

"Just give him five more minutes." Leorio bit his lip, looking out the window towards the tree-line, "He wanted to be here, so he'll get here. I know he will."

Gon gazed at his cousin worriedly, "Leorio..."

Pairo looked down at his feet, fighting tears.

BOOM!

Shocked, everyone turned their attention to the shore where, out of the flaming forest road-

"KURAPIKA!" The guys cheered.

The blonde was being carried by his Luco Bird, barely hanging on in his unconscious state. But the bird made the leap onto the deck where Wing was whistling it over.

With that, the ship set sail into the night, following the moon at full speed, the Luco Birds giving an extra push for speed.

Kurapika was treated by Leorio and made a full recovery by the time they reached land…

Where a whole new adventure awaited them.

…

Deep in the forests of Lusko Providence…

That was the most prominent thing about the place. It was completely untouched by humans, nature reigning supreme here over everything. The world seemed so fresh and amazing in this forest. Like nothing could die in such a place that felt like the source of all life.

And it was probably because of all the greenery. At least, that's how Leorio who'd grown up in a desert town felt about it all.

Having Kurapika at his side also added greatly to how the forest radiated life.

"We almost there?" Kurapika asked.

Leorio smiled, "Just about."

The two reached a clearing where the sun's rays met the forest floor without disturbance, where the moss and grass was especially green, the sky seemed especially blue and the clouds especially puffy and pure. It was one of Leorio's favourite places in the forest to just stop and admire the beauty of this world while forgetting about all its troubles.

It was a place to rest.

The two lay down in the grass together, their heads opposite and reflecting each other.

"We sure have come a long way." Kurapika stated, "In the Dark Continent, if you tried this, you'd be dead minutes."

"I'm just glad you're safe now, Peeks." Leorio remarked, using the nickname he loved, "So long as I'm around, you'll always be safe."

"Yeah, let's remind ourselves which one of us can turn into a lizard."

"And let's remind ourselves which one of us has to bandage the lizard up."

The two turned their heads towards each other, poked their tongues out, smiled, then turned their heads towards the sky, eyes closed in contentment and fingers interlocking…

While a golden pendant stayed between them.


	3. Blue X Possibilities

**(AN: Biologist/Family AU anyone? Maybe? I'm not sure what I'm doing here. Also, slight porn at the end; I was gonna do it for Day 2, but that didn't happen. And by slight, I mean a make out session that didn't go any further than that because Kurapika is seriously sex-repulsed thanks to life kicking him in the teeth.)**

"Holy cow!" Killua, 7 years old, looked around at the animals in amazement, "Mom, are you seeing this?!"

"Looky, looky, Kill!" Alluka, 5 years old, excitedly pointed at the aquarium part of the zoo, "Aren't the fishies pretty?"

"Hold up, you too!" Kurapika, 21 years old, jogged over to the kids, "Don't go too far ahead, or I'll lose you."

"Yeah, yeah." The white haired boy snorted, then he grinned, "Can we go see the water life now, Kurapika?"

"Pretty please, Mr Kurapika?" The black haired girl begged, making puppy eyes, "I wanna see the pretty jelly fish and cute seals."

"Okay, you two, but stick close or no dinner for you tonight." The blonde instructed, jokingly.

"Okay!" The siblings nodded.

With that, the trio walked into the aquarium part of the zoo. They spent a lot of time in the maze-like building, looking at all the marine life in amazement. Kurapika was being a bit of a picture-holic. He couldn't help it though; he loved taking the kids out to places like this and snapping about a thousand pictures with them in it.

The animals didn't stop at just the aquarium though. Once they were outside, they spotted penguins, seals, dolphins; the list goes on.

"Hey, Mom, look!" Killua called, pointing at a sign.

Kurapika walked over, "What is it, kiddo?"

"It looks like a marine wildlife show or something." Alluka analyzed. She grinned brightly and turned to Kurapika, "Can we go, please, Mr. Kurapika?"

"You don't even have to ask, guys." The blonde grinned.

"YAY!" The siblings cheered, arm in arm and started skipping towards where it appeared the show would take place.

Kurapika sighed and shook his head fondly.

…

"So this is where Uncle Kite did all his shows, Leorio?" Gon, 7 years old, asked as he looked around the large tank like arena.

Leorio, 23 years old, smiled, "You betcha, Gon. If he was doing something special, he'd always give Mito first dibs on seats. He'd even put some in reserve for us, though you were a bit too young to remember his shows."

"Uncle Kite sounds like he was amazing!" Gon giggled, "Almost as cool as you, Leorio!"

Leorio blushed slightly at that, "I don't know about that, Gon, I haven't even done my first show yet."

"Yeah, but you work really hard to make sure all the animals are in good health, just like any really awesome vet would do! But you do it triple fold!" The boy laughed, "That already makes you one of the coolest people ever!"

The veterinarian smiled, shrugging, "All in a day's work, little brother. All in a day's work."

"Leorio, we got a problem!"

Surprised to hear those words from Zepile, his forever calm coworker, Leorio was quick to give the man his attention.

"Zepile, what's wrong?" Leorio asked.

"Cheadle tripped and how she can't walked without being in pain." The man rubbed at his reddish hair, anxiously, "And we can't get in contact with anyone who can get here in time to do the show for her."

"Aww, nuts." The vet sighed, "Looks like we'll have to cancel."

"You don't need to do that, Leorio!" Gon giggled.

The two turned to look at him, blinking in confusion.

"You can do the show of course!" The boy smiled.

He got two very different reactions.

"Gon, are you crazy, I've never done a show in my life, I've only ever watched them!" Leorio panicked, "I'm still only a trainer, I don't know anything about proper shows!"

"You know, considering Cheadle's trained you and you can handle the animals, I don't see why we can't give it a try. I've seen him when he's training, it's practically a show." Zepile grinned, "It's a great idea!"

Leorio spluttered as he looked between the two nervously.

But seeing Gon's excited face and Zepile's terrifying grin, he knew he was doomed.

This was gonna be interesting.

…

Once they arrived at the seats, Kurapika could see things were packed. He was almost worried that they wouldn't find enough seats until-

"Hey! Do you need a seat?"

Kurapika looked to his left to see a small boy smiling up at him brightly. He had spiky black hair with green tips, big happy amber eyes and tanned skin. He was wearing green shorts, green bulky shoes and a white shirt.

The boy patted the empty seat next to him, "My big brother got dragged away by work, but he had this seat left in reserve just encase I'd need it. But you look like you need it too."

"Thank you." Kurapika said, then turned to Alluka and Killua, "Which of you would like to take it?"

Killua waved his hands, "No way, Mom, it's all Alluka's."

Alluka pouted, "But Brother, you and Mr. Kurapika need it too."

"Here's a suggestion." The boy raised his finger, "Mr. Kurapika can sit in the seat, Alluka can sit on the Mr's lap and I'll share my seat with the Big Brother. That sound okay?"

Killua blinked, "That… actually sounds like a good idea."

"I don't mind if Mr. Kurapika doesn't mind." Alluka giggled.

Kurapika smiled as he took the seat, helping Alluka up. Killua pulled himself into the seat on his own and while it looked a little squished there, neither of the boys were companing.

"So, uhh, thanks I guess." Killua stated, trying to be cool, "You're smarter than you look."

The boy smiled brightly, "Glad I could help! My name's Gon! What's your's?"

"I'm Killua." The white haired boy gestured behind him, "Alluka's my little sister and Kurapika is our foster father. But he acts like a Mom, like, all the time so I just call him Mom."

"Cool! I don't have any parents either, so my Big Brother acts like a Dad to me instead." The black haired boy explained, "He's a cool dad, though."

As the two continued to chat, Kurapika and Alluka smiled at it.

"I've never seen Big Brother warm up to someone so fast." Alluka whispered.

Kurapika chuckled, quietly, "Me neither. I'm glad he's made a friend."

"Me too." Alluka giggled.

"**Guys! Gals! And non-binary pals!**"

"It's starting!" Gon cheered, turning his full attention on the arena below.

"**It's that special time of the day when the serious staff go home to let the more foolish ones play. The foolish ones will show you everything these amazing animals can do with a lot of training and a lot of trust building, so kiddies, don't try this at home and parents, don't try this while you're drunk. Now, without further ado, allow me, Zepile, to present to you, the audience, a show like no other on Earth. Zaban City Zoo's Marine Performance!**"

Cheers erupted all over the arena, nearly deafening Kurapika. Hopefully, it'd be a small price to pay for the show. Then again, the visit wasn't a waste if Gon and Killua decided they wanted to spend more time together. Killua needed all the friends he could get considering he only had Alluka and Kurapika to call family. Kurapika knew it wasn't pleasant, feeling that alone.

"**To start of, allow me to introduce you to your host! He's a newbie in the biz, so be nice, but he's trained with these animals for years so he knows what he's doing. Ladies call him cute, men call him loser, enbies call him dork. Ladies, Gentlemen and Distinguished Guests, I give you... Leorio Paladiknight!**"

The lights flipped on at the bottom of the arena to show the large pool of water and the man standing at the edge. He had black, spiky hair, olive eyes and tanned skin. He was wearing a red top with the Zoo's logo on it, black shorts and sandals. He had a headset on and was smiling nervously.

"That's my Big Brother!" Gon cheered, waving like mad, "Hey, Leorio!"

Leorio turned his eyes in their direction and smiled, he then turned back to the general audience with a little, "**Yo! Thank you, Zepile, for that lovely and somewhat embarrassing introduction. But you're not here to talk about me, you're here to see some sea life. Right guys?**"

The crowd cheered.

"**Then that's what you'll get. Now,**" Leorio clapped, "**let the show begin!**"

Gon, Killua and Alluka cheered with the rest of the audience. Kurapika merely smiled.

…

At the end of the performance, Gon, Alluka and Killua are still excited half an hour later, talking about the animals and the tricks while waiting for Leorio to arrive. Kurapika doesn't mind though, it's wonderful seeing the two usually quiet siblings getting along so well with a boy they just met. Kurapika was definitely going to have to talk to Leorio to ensure the three could stay in contact.

"Gon!"

Turning their heads, they for saw the man from before, now in a buttoned white shirt, blue jeans and black shoes, running towards them.

Gon grinned brightly as he ran to his older sibling, yelling, "Leorio!"

Once he was near enough, the boy in green jumped into his older siblings arms. Leorio whoaed in surprise, but chuckled as he held Gon in his arms.

"You enjoyed the show, kiddo?" Leorio asked.

Gon nodded, eyes shining, "You were amazing, Big Brother, and you knew so much about all the animals, it was so cool! You ever gonna do a show again?"

"Maybe." He put his brother down and then looked at the other people behind them, blinking, "Who are your friends, Gon?"

Gon ran over and grabbed Killua's hand, "This is Killua!" He grabbed Alluka's hand, "This is Alluka, his little sister!" He let go of their hands then grabbed Kurapika's trouser leg, "And this is Kurapika, their foster parent."

Leorio blinked at them all again, then smiled, offering his hand to them, "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Leorio Paladiknight. I work at the aquarium area of the Zoo and I'm Gon's Big Brother."

Kurapika took his hand, shaking it firmly, "The pleasure is all mine, Mr. Paladiknight. I'm Kurapika Kurta. I work at a cafe in Zaban city and as a foster parent to Killua and Alluka."

"Please, no formalities, I'm not good at them." The biologist blushed slightly as he let go of Kurapika's hand.

"Good, because I'm not either." The fosterer nodded politely.

Alluka giggled, "Now that that's settled, can we get something to eat, please? I'm hungry."

"Me too!" Killua and Gon called at the same time.

The two blinked at each other owlishly, then broke out laughing. Alluka laughed with them and the two adults joined in.

Once the laughed died down, Leorio chuckled, "I guess we're heading for our homes then."

The kids all whinned, grabbing onto each other, "But we wanna stay together."

"Then let's go to my cafe." Kurapika suggested, "I get a discount, plus the food is pretty good."

"We know where we're going then." Gon smiled.

"Um-hum!" The siblings nodded.

With that, the three excitable children started running for the exit while the adults shook their heads, then followed after them, calling for them to slow down.

…

A lot of time passed after that first meeting. Alluka, Killua and Gon transferred to be in the same school and another boy in the karate club, Zushi, joined their group. The karate teacher Wing became good friends with Leorio and Kurapika, letting them know how the kids were doing and if anyone ever bullied them, thought it didn't happen much.

Kurapika and Leorio got closer, too. Leorio told Kurapika how he'd had an edgy relationship with his borderline abusive parents and for a while, his only friend was a fish named Pietro. After Gon was born, his parents got worst and treated them both terribly. So, even though he want to take Pietro with him, Leorio was forced to leave the little guy behind to get himself and Gon to safety. Leorio decided to become a biologist so he could look after marine animals the same way Pietro had protected him in an attempt to make up for not being there for his first and only friend. He went to a collage in Zaban city and worked two part time jobs just to get his pay. He barely survived, but Leorio feels it was all worth it.

Meanwhile, Kurapika revealed his history; his entire family and Pairo (his first boyfriend) died in a house fire that was started by the Phantom Troupe gang. Kurapika was pretty bloodthirsty after that and joined the gang to hand them over to the cops. But they didn't take Kurapika since he hadn't ever stolen or murdered. Instead, he got tossed into the foster system that he had been avoiding as hard as he could. He ended up growing out of the system after dealing with several horrible families. That's why Kurapika became a foster parent, so he could give kids somewhere safe with him at least.

Killua and Alluka had already been separated from their other 3 brothers. No one would take the stubborn brother and trans-sister in as a package and they refused to be separated; Kurapika was the first who lasted more than 3 days with them both, so he kept them. That's how it's been since, just the three of them.

But now they have Gon, Zushi, Wing and Leorio to help them out and that opened up so many more possibilities for Alluka and Killua that Kurapika couldn't have opened on his own.

He'll always be grateful for it, too.

…

"You think Leorio and Kurapika are crushing on each other?" Gon, 10-years-old, asked the siblings, surprised.

Alluka, 8-years-old, nodded, determinedly.

Killua, 10-years-old, snorted, "Dude, it's been obvious for years they've been pinning for each other."

"If that's true, then why didn't either of them make a move?" Gon asked, "Big Brother's no coward and Kurapika's not the type to let fear get the best of him."

"Yeah, but Kurapika's also really dense. Like, you remember that time I asked him what his first relationship was like? He told me it took his crush saying 'I'm in love with you' for him to realize he felt the same thing in that way!" Alluka exclaimed.

"Also, have you seen how he is with technology? We know more about it than he does!" Killua added in, "He can hardly operate a microwave, I don't know how we've lived this long."

"So nice to know you two think so highly of my intelligence."

The three yelled in shock as they turned to the door where Kurapika was standing, a plate of biscuits in hand and a few glasses of water.

The siblings chuckled nervously, "H-hi Mom."

Gon waved, sweating in worry.

Kurapika raised an eyebrow at them, "If you think my cooking and intelligence are that low, then you can just feed yourselves ya know, while Leorio and I eat all your cookies."

"We're sorry." The two chimmed.

The blonde chuckled and set the try on the ground, "Since you apologized, you get to eat tonight."

"Thank you for the food, Mom." Alluka giggled.

"Yeah, thanks, whatever." Killua stated, mouth half full of cookies.

"Killua, talking with your mouth full is really rude, ya know." Gon scolded.

The white haired boy huffed.

Kurapika smiled as he stood up, "Call me if you need me, kids."

With that, he left.

The three collectively released a sigh.

"Okay," Killua turned serious, cookie swallowed now, "since Kurapika is oblivious and Leorio's got cold feet, it's up to us to spark something."

"Killua, do you really think this is a good idea?" Gon asked.

"Of course it is, Gon!" Alluka smiled, "One, it's Big Brother's idea. Two, we have to get them together because they'd be so happy with each other! It's up to us as their children to encourage at least something!"

"But Leorio isn't my father." Gon protested, weakly.

"Who cares, he practically raised you Gon!" Killua stated, "Getting a partner when you're a single parent is hard! After all the effort they put into making sure we were happy, now it's our turn to make them happy."

Alluka nodded.

Gon sighed, shrugged and smiled, "Let's do it.

"Hurry!" Alluka cheered.

Killua smiled, smugly.

"_What have I gotten myself into this time?_" Gon though.

…

The trio worked hard to get their favourite adults together. They took every chance they could. They made plans and though their way through every possible reaction to their actions.

Leorio was the first one who picked up on the matchmaking schemes. He really couldn't believe his little brother was helping Killua with this. He must have thought that he really needed help with Kurapika if he was 'helping' behind the scenes. It was too embarrassing to even bring up with them.

Kurapika on the other hand didn't figure it out until months after Leorio did. Of course he noticed the kids were up to something, he wasn't that oblivious, but he never thought they were matchmaking.

It took their most obvious approach for him to realize it (and for the two adults to get together).

…

"Mom, why aren't you dressed yet?!" Killua, 13-years-old exclaimed in shock.

Kurapika, 27-years-old, raised an eyebrow at him, sitting on the sofa in jeans and a top, "What do you mean, Killua? I am dressed."

"Dressed for your date with Leorio, silly!" Alluka, 11-years-old, cried, "He's gonna pick you up in like, 20 minutes!"

"Who told you two I was going on a date with Leorio?" The blonde gave them a puzzled look.

"Gon did!" The two replied, "He texted us just now about how panicky Leorio is about this date!"

"Oh really?" Kurapika smiled as he raised an eyebrow at the two, "Perhaps I could call him to help calm Leorio down a little. Being nervous before a date is never easy."

"I'll get the phone!" Killua dashed off.

"You remember his number, right?" Alluka asked.

"Of course I do, Alluka. We've known each other for about 6 years." The fosterer chuckled.

"Here's the phone!" Killua sprinted back in, handing the device to Kurapika.

The blonde blinked, then smiled, "Thank you, Killua."

He started dialing and the two siblings made a break for the stairs, dashing into their room. They already had Gon on Skype to listen into the conversation with them.

"**So, you're sure we can all listen in on this without them hearing us?**" Gon asked.

Killua snorted, "Please, I'm a tech genius, though it is advised we be quiet. Now shush."

With that, the adults started talking over the phone.

"**Hello?**"

"**Hey Leorio. The kids said something about you panicking over a date?**"

"**Gon told them about that? Shit I was hoping it could be a surprise.**"

"Wait, what?" The siblings asked.

Gon chuckled nervously, "**I guess he's finally taking initiative.**"

"**I'm sorry, what? So you are going on a date? I thought they were telling me that for a prank.**"

"**No, no, it's all true. I'm going on a date tonight. Or at least, I was. I'm not so sure right now.**"

"**Why not? Did your date cancel or something?**"

"**Actually, I haven't even asked them yet. I'm really hoping they'll say yes though. I think they will.**"

"**Well I hope it works out.**"

"**It will if you say yes.**"

"**... I'm sorry, I think there's something wrong with the phone, what did you say?**"

"**Kurapika, will you go on a date with me?**"

The kids snicked, they so wanted to see Kurapika's face right now.

"**You can say no if you don't want to.**"

"**Yes! I mean, no! I mean, I wanna go. On a date. With you.**"

"**You mean that?**"

"**Uhh, yeah? I mean, yes I mean that.**"

"**Great, I'll be there in about 30 minutes? That sound good?**"

"**Yeah, just, tell me what to wear and whatever.**"

"**Casual sounds good.**"

"**Okay, I-I'll see you in 30.**"

"**Later, Kurapika.**"

"**Yeah, um bye.**"

The sound of phones hanging up.

"Alluka, I need your help!" Kurapika yelled, "I'm not sure what to wear!"

The three kids laughed.

…

"How long have they been gone?" Gon asked, sitting in the room with Killua and Alluka, playing Go Fish.

Considering Leorio was going to Kurapika's house to pick him up, Gon thought it'd be a good idea to go so encase the adults wanted alone time, they could have it.

"About 3 hours." Alluka stated.

"How do you think this date is gonna end?" Killua smirked, "Also, Gon, you have a 4?"

"Go fish." Gon replied, then smiled, "I think they're finally gonna realize they're in love and confess."

Alluka giggled, "I think they're gonna kiss and hug each other at the end. Killua, any 5s?"

"God damnit." Killua frowned, passing his 3 cards to her. He then smirked, "I think they're gonna do the deed."

"Alluka, any Kings?" Gon asked, then blinked at Killua owlishly, "The deed?"

"Go fish." Alluka replied then gave her brother a pointed glare, "It's the first date, Killua."

"Gon, any Jacks?" Killua asked, then he grinned, "But what if Leorio misbehaves?"

"Here." Gon passed his cards, "What do you mean by 'misbehave' Lua?"

The white haired boy's smirk turned mischievous as he set his cards down, out of sight, "If he's overcome with passion, he might do something…"

He reached over to Gon and pulled him in close, one hand cradling his face the other wrapped around Gon's middle, "like this."

Gon blushed bright red down to his neck and the top of his ears, "Ohh, okay Killua, I get it, you can let me go now."

"Aww." Killua smirked, "I thought you liked kissing me Gon."

"All-Alluka's here, Lua." The black haired boy guested to where the girl was sitting-

Creek!

-only to see a small hand of cards on the bed and hear a door being closed, soft giggling behind it.

"See? We're alone, now." Killua smiled.

Gon's blush didn't die, but he did smile a little, "I guess we are."

The two looked at each other then Gon leaned up to seal the kiss.

…

Back downstairs, Alluka was texting Zushi on her phone over Facebook, while her ipod speakers played "So Contagious" by Acceptance.

**Zushi: So, Mr. Kurapika and Mr. Leorio are on a date?**

**Alluka: That's right. Big Brother is kissing Gon upstairs, so I left to give them space.**

**Zushi: Doesn't it ever feel awkward though? I mean, do you ever hear them or…?**

**Alluka: That's why I'm downstairs with the music on while they're upstairs with the door closed.**

**Zushi: It's probably better for everyone that way.**

**Alluka: Also means we can talk without Big Brother looking over my shoulder to make sure you aren't being a bad boyfriend.**

**Zushi: He's just doing his job, as scary as he is at it.**

**Alluka: (Laughs) I guess you're right.**

Her phone beeped: "You have one new message from Mom."

**Alluka: Hold on, Mom texted me.**

She opened it, skimmed it, blushed, closed it then relayed the message to Zushi.

**Alluka: He said he's not gonna come home tonight and that he'll be here by morning.**

**Zushi: You think they're-**

**Alluka: Uh-huh.**

**Zushi: Ewwwwww…**

**Alluka: (Awkward laugh) Agreed.**

She sat there in silence for a few moments, noticing that "Mr. Right" by A Rocket To The Moon was playing. The black haired girl text Zushi, asking if he liked them.

With that, they had a new conversation topic to get them off the awkward one.

…

Kurapika, admittedly, hadn't kissed much since Pairo's death. He hadn't even had sex (just for himself, sex to get him fed and clean or whatever else he'd done it for didn't count) because he'd wanted Pairo to be his first. Funny how life likes to kick you in the teeth like that.

"_Don't think._" Kurapika scolded himself, "_Feel._"

He felt Leorio's heart thundering under his hand, twisting his other hand into the man's hair. He felt Leorio holding him up, hands under his thighs, then gently setting him down. He felt Leorio leaning closer up to him, breathing heavily through his nose.

Kurapika's mind was filling up with nothing but Leorio; his taste, his scent, his skin-

Then they fell backwards on the bed and alarm bells rang off in his head.

"Kurapika?" Leorio called, breaking away for a few moments, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah." Kurapika replied, lying through his teeth.

Leorio looked at him as his he were dumb, buttons on his top all undone.

The blonde couldn't lie, "No."

The biologist smiled and sat next to him, while Kurapika sprung up, hiding his face in shame.

"I'm sorry." The fosterer murmured.

"It's okay, really." The biologist spoke reassuringly.

The blonde shook his head, "No, it's not."

"Oh, yes it is." The black-head chuckled, imitating some stage performer who was arguing with the younger audience.

Kurapika made some kind of snorting nose; probably very unappealing and unsexy.

Leorio grinned and looked upwards at the ceiling, "It's okay to not be ready after the first date, Kurapika. Hell, it's okay to not be ready after marriage. There's nothing wrong with that. Not in the slightest."

The blonde took his hands from his face, turning towards the black-haired man, looking shocked. The biologist just smiled. The foster got tears in his eyes and hugged the man, crying softly into his shirt. Leorio patted Kurapika's back gently, rocking slightly.

Kurapika managed to calm his sobs eventually, whipping them away with his sleeve, "I'm sorry. I'm such a baby."

"Mind if I call you that then, baby?" Leorio asked, smirking.

The blonde snorted again, punching him in the arm gently, "You're hopeless."

"Possibly." The black-head offered, playfully. He turned a little more serious though, "Are you feeling a little better now?"

"Yeah, a little." The foster gave his eyes a final whip then smiled at Leorio, "Thank you, Leo."

"Any time, Pika." The biologist responded, "You wanna go home now? Or in the morning, before the kids are up?"

"Morning." Kurapika replied, falling on his back, "I think I just wanna sleep right now."

"I hear ya." Leorio also fell back, arms cradling his head, "We've had a big night."

"I suppose we have." The blonde shimmed over, cuddling up to him.

The black-head smiled softly, "Good night, Kurapika."

"Night, Leorio." Kurapika replied, eyes closed, "Sweet dreams."

Leorio smiled and closed his eyes, thoughts drifting to possibilities of the future.

He could take Kurapika for a weekend away from the kids (leaving them with Zepile, he didn't mind and they liked him/or with Wing and Zushi, Alluka stated that she missed him the other day) to do whatever he wanted; visit a museum, watch a movie, explore a nearby city.

They could spend the summer at a caravan site in his parent's good old campervan; they could go to one of the sites he spent his summers on with his entire family, barbequing, water fights, making friends that they'd try to keep in contact with.

Leorio would cook breakfast for Kurapika the very next morning and maybe even bring it to him in bed. If he didn't burn it that is and Kurapika even liked that sort of thing. It was really cheesy.

They could do crappy karaoke together at a bar after a few drinks. Kurapika would accidentally pick the one song Leorio didn't know and they'd bring the house to it's knees with laughter.

They could exchange cheesy Valentines gifts-

Leorio's eyes snapped open. He looked down to see Kurapika sleeping peacefully, cuddled up to his side in a light blue top, black slacks and no shoes.

That gave Leorio an idea.

…

When Kurapika woke up fully, he felt like he'd slept really well, for once. He looked around to see he was in his own room, the dawn was breaking and Leorio was nowhere in sight.

The blonde sighed and curled on his side, muttering, "Stupid dream. So unfair."

His eyes drifted to his night-stand and he abruptly sat up, shocked.

There were eleven blue roses in a class of water, a note under the class. Gently, Kurapika lifted the glass and took out the note, putting it back down just as carefully. He unfolded the note and blushed crimson as he read it, but laugh at times too.

_Hey Kurapika, hope you slept well_

_I had a really great time last night, it was a fun date and you're quite the kisser. I noticed you were wearing blue last night and I know it's cheesy, but I wanted to get you some roses. So, after I dropped you off, I did. It's pretty cool that florists are open even at 11._

_Anyway, I chose to give you blue roses because they basically mean 'The unattainable', because they're so unnatural. That's how I felt about you for a while, so I chickened out from asking you out for a while. It's almost embarrassing that it took Gon setting up a fake date for me to take you on a real one (he, Killua and Alluka are so manipulative, little heathens)._

_Also got you eleven roses because my grandma used to tell me if someone sends you eleven roses, it means the sender is telling you you're truly and deeply loved. Which you are._

_Hope to see you soon, Leorio_

Kurapika smiled fondly, whipping at his sleepy eyes. He turned his attention to the roses and smiled softly. The blonde smelt them and decided he liked the scent. The foster went to grab his diary to write about last night in and as a place to keep the note safe.


	4. Violet X Loss

(**AN: I knew I was gonna do a Zombie AU eventually, it's been on my mind alot lately. Based on: **** post/149658912897/zombie-apocalypse-au****. And I hope you like it. Also, I'm much too big of a softy to write angst so I'll probably do some form of a happy ending.**)

Leorio hadn't known much loss in his life. He'd known the loss of friendships, though they weren't strong. He'd known the loss of grandparents, though that was also when he was young and didn't know them very well. He'd known the loss of sleep, as any hard working medical student did.

He'd never known the kind of loss the world was about to face come Friday the 13th of August.

…

It started out like any other day. He was on his way to the school from the dorms, his best friend Pietro at his side, the two of them joking about whatever.

"Hey, Leorio, look." Pietro said, pausing in his tracks.

Leorio made a confused sound and faced forwards to see one of the first years walking towards them. He didn't know the student, but they definitely didn't look well.

"Hey, are you okay?" Leorio called, then said to Pietro, "They look sick."

The person looked up at them and started groaning, walking at a faster pace. Leorio took a look at their eyes and-

"Leo, thei-their eyes!" Pietro exclaimed, taking a few startled steps back.

-the eyes were a disturbing milky white and their sent-

"Shit, they smell like a dead man." Leorio held his nose, disgusted as he took a few steps back.

The student followed them, hissing slightly.

The two best friends looked at each other. Looked back at the 'student'. Then they started running.

"You don't seriously think that was a zombie?" Leorio asked.

Pietro panted, "I don't know, but that was way too freaky to keep hanging around there!"

"Guys!"

They turned around to see Pokkle, a member of the Archery Team and a Chemistry student at the school. Behind him was his girlfriend Ponzu, one of the Beekeepers and also a Chemistry student.

"Have you guys run into anything weird?" Ponzu asked, running alongside them.

"If by weird you mean people walking around not looking well with milky white eyes?" Pietro called, "Then yes, we've seen it."

"It's happening all over the campus." Pokkle stated, "There are whole gangs of these things. We gotta get to transportation!"

"How would you know what to do?" Leorio asked.

"Because we've both been up for the last 2 hours studying these things." Ponzu answered. "We were in the main school building studying early when we heard some screaming. We check it out, only to find some cannibalism going on! Only, at our arrive, the biter stopped attacking and started running for us. It tripped several times, which gave us the chance to get away."

"We made it to the security room and hooked all the camera signals up to my laptop." Pokkle patted the bag that was hanging at his side, "Through the cameras, we've seen other students noticing the cannibalism and become victims of it. Some get eaten alive, down to the bone. Others get bitten once and become one of them. They've done tests, though, that we can put to use."

"What did you find?" Leorio asked, stopping to press his back against the wall, lowering his voice.

"Talking to the bitten; fails big time. People throw things at them; no reaction. Make a nose; all heads turn. Be silent, heads still turn. Someone covered themself with these things guts; if they remained quiet, they could walk among them undetected." Ponzu explained, back to the wall as she whispered, "They're slow and clumsy, but some can run, though they trip all the time. They can crawl up stairs, but they can't climb walls. They like to swarm their victims too. They show no interest in animals other than as sources of noise, though."

"Any obvious weaknesses?" Pietro asked, back up.

"Like I said, slow, clumsy and seemingly blind to sight and touch. But that's it. They move even if their bodies are on fire or they only have their arms to pull them along. Only way to kill 'em is to take out the brain, whatever means necessary. Severing the heads stops movement, but it doesn't kill them." Pokkle explained, getting to the corner.

"So, we've got a Zombie Apocalypse on our hands?" Leorio asked.

Ponzu shrugged, "Looks like it."

Pokkle looked around the corner, cursed quietly and turned back to them, speaking much more quietly, "The parking lots surrounded by the things. They're everywhere."

Leorio cursed, "Can't we do what that student did? Cover ourselves in their guts or whatever?"

"Anyone who got their blood on their skin started to corrode. Only safe way to do that would be to get some overalls on." Ponzu stated.

"Which were already being used by everyone else who got there first. There aren't any left." Pokkle stated, "Also, the Science building is crawling with Zombies. We wouldn't be able to get in, even if there were suits willing to risk it for."

"What if we caused an explosion with a lighter and hairspray?" Pietro suggested.

"Wouldn't be loud enough to get their attention." Ponzu stated, "Believe me, I tried."

"What do we do then?" Leorio asked.

"We find another way out of the school. Stop by the gym or somewhere to pick up weapons if we can." Pokkle stated, "Or something that can be used as a weapon. Last time I checked, the place was clean, too."

"We better hurry then." Ponzu added.

They nodded and started heading for the gym.

…

In another part of the world, one that had yet to feel the sting of the zombies' attack…

"Pairo!" A smiling blond boy wearing a blue tabard yelled as he ran towards the stream.

"Oh, Kurapika!" A happy brunette boy wearing a dark red tabard greeted as his friend stopped in front of him, standing up from his kneeling position in front of the rushing water, "Did you do it? Did you pass the test?"

"Yeah!" Kurapika nodded, "Now I can see the outside world, Pairo! Isn't that great?"

Pairo nodded, "I'm so happy for you, Kurapika! Now I just need to pass it and we can see the world together! Does that sound like fun, or what?"

Kurapika looked at his best friend fondly, "I can't imagine seeing this world without you, Pairo. It'd be no fun if it was just me."

"Then I promise to pass the test as soon as possible!" Pairo clenched his fists in determination.

"Yeah!" Kurapika cried, fist bumping him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Shocked at the scream, the two turned their heads to their village, sheltered by the underbrush and trees.

"That sounded like your mother, Pairo." The blonde gasped.

"Oh no!" The brunette exclaimed.

With that, the two friends started sprinting for the village, panting as they ran.

…

Back at the campus, Leorio, Pokkle, Pietro and Ponzu finally made it to the gym.

"Did anyone get bitten?" Someone on watch asked them.

Pokkle stepped forwards, "No, but we do have some information that could count as helpful."

"Get in then. So long are you aren't bitten, we don't care if you have no information." The person stepped aside and let them in.

The place had been turned into a base and there were several other students and teachers there. At least two people with bats stood at each door guarding it, while others were handing out food and medicine, offering words of comfort to anyone who was weeping. There were guns in the corner being guarded. It looked like people really had their shit together.

Art Instructor Kite Reina walked up to them, "Are you alright? No one injured, bitten or upset?"

"We're all fine, Mr. Kite." Pietro stated.

Pokkle stepped up, "We found out a lot of information about these things while we were out there and I have my laptop hooked up the security footage. May I address everyone with the information Ponzu and I found?"

"What kind of information did you manage?" Kite asked.

"Behaviours, possible weaknesses and general information." Ponzu stated.

"I'll try to get everyone to hush so they can all hear you. Let me know when you're ready and I'll quiet everyone." With that, the Art Instructor left to dote on the other students.

"Ponzu and I will set the projector up and prepare all the information we know." Pokkle stated, "You two should see where you can help out."

With that, they broke off into two groups of two to do their thing.

Pietro went to talk to the members of their friendship group while Leorio went to where it appeared people were being treated for injuries. He was a medical student after all, he might be needed.

It only took 5 minutes for Kite to call everyone to silence, "Everyone, please be quiet for just a few moments. Mr. Pokkle and Miss. Ponzu would like to speak to you all."

Everyone was silent.

At the head of the hall, Pokkle and Ponzu stood on either side of the projector, Pokkle with a pointing stick and Ponzu with the laptop, hooked up to a charger and the projector.

"I hooked my computer up to the school's security footage and through that, I have come to learn more about these creatures who are attacking us." Pokkle stated, "For now though, let's just call them Zombies because as silly as it is, we are facing the Zombie Apocalypse right now."

"I warn you, most if not all of the footage will entitle some very gruesome content, so if you feel you can't stomach it, please, turn away before you have any more incentive to puke." Ponzu added in, "There will also be audio to the clips we show you, so if you don't want to hear anything either, I'd suggest hiding in the kitchen. You are likely to see some of your former friends in this video as well. Anyone who backs out will just be retold by us directly the information we deem important."

Several students and teachers went into the kitchen that was connected to the gym. People were guarding that as well, Leorio noticed once he looked. More stayed to watch though.

Pokkle nodded, "Very well then. We will start showing you the footage. And remember, we warned you."

Ponzu pressed a bunch of keys on the computer, moved the mouse a little, then a video started playing. On the screen, the time reads 7:08am:

_Pokkle and Ponzu were strolling down the hall, chatting idly when an ear-splitting scream plays. The two run to the sound and turn a corner._

_Camera changes angle to show them staring in horror as one of the Zombies biting a janitor's neck. Leorio had known the janitor; Tonpa, hated his job and the people at the facility, often vandalized equipment then blamed it on the closest person. No one liked him._

"_Mr Tonpa!" Pokkle cried._

_Ponzu grabbed at his arm, "What the hell is going on?!"_

_The zombie released Tonpa, who fell to the floor, bleeding out. It started groaning and hissing, then it started running for Pokkle and Ponzu. The two ran away, but the screen didn't follow them, it stayed with the zombie. It tripped several times before deciding running was a waste of time. Once it got around the corner, hunched back as it walked, something happened to what used to be Tonpa._

_The corpse stood up, moaning as it did. It looked around and turned towards the stairs. It tried to lift it's feet enough to reach the first step, but fell flat on his face. He continued by crawling up the stairs._

The clip ended and rewinded to the point where Tonpa was being bitten. Pokkle pointed at where the zombie's teeth were in Tonpa's flesh.

"We believe this is how you become one of them." Pokkle stated, "Biting. We don't know what the zombie's bodies or teeth are like after being bitten, but it's clear this is how it's spread. Of course, most of you already knew that."

Ponzu flashes it forward to the zombie falling flat on it's face when it tried to follow Pokkle and Ponzu.

"They're very clumsy as is shown and prefer to travel slowly to avoid tripping and letting their prey get away." Pokkle went on, "So, don't think they're slow because they're slow. They can be fast if they want to be."

Then it flashed to when what was Tonpa tried going up the stairs.

"They can't climbs stairs very well, but they can crawl up them." Pokkle stated, "That is all we know from this single clip. Next one, Ponzu."

She nodded and brought up the next clip.

…

Back in the forest, once they reached the other side of the village, Kurapika and Pairo halted, shocked.

There was a huge crowd, everyone yelling something about 'Outsiders', 'Curses', 'Biting', 'Mis Shannon' and 'Blood'. They reached the very centre of the crowd to see Shannon, Pairo's mother who looked just like him, was on the ground, some teeth marks in her arm that were being tended to by Suana, Kurapika's mother, who looked just like her son.

"MOM!" Pairo called, running to her side.

Shannon looked at her son in surprise, "Pairo? What are you doing here?"

"We heard you scream all the way from the river." Kurapika replied, "We thought you were being murdered."

"I did too. Sorry I scared you all." Shannon stated.

"Don't be sorry, Shannon, I thought something was majorly wrong, too." Suana comforted her friend, helping her sit up.

"What happened to make you scream like that, Mom?" Pairo asked, worried.

"It was the strangest thing." Shannon explained, looking at her son and her best friend's son, "We, your father, I and Kurapika's parents, were gathering supplies from the village. The town just didn't feel right for some reason, but we got supplies anyway. Once we left, we noticed people were walking down the trail after us. We sped up until they were out of sight and we felt we could reach the village safely."

"After we arrived and finished unloading all the goods, we noticed that the person who'd followed us was about the enter the area that keeps the village hidden." Suana added in, "We all went to see if we could stop him, Shannon being the one who got the closest to him then without warning he bit her! It took both your fathers' working together to get the thing to let her go and even then it came right back for her. Luckily, I had my arrow drawn and impaled his head. He stopped moving after that. We carried Shannon into the village and had someone give me supplies to tend to her."

"That sounds scary!" Pairo gasped, "Are you sure you're alright Mom, really?"

"Really, Pairo, I'm okay." Shannon smiled and ran her fingers through her son's hair to reassure him, "Trust me, I'll live."

Kurapika looked at his mother, "Where are our fathers?"

"Your father and Uncle Yuhan are checking out the corpse with the village Elder." Suana stated, "Just outside the wall of trees that keep us safe."

"Thanks." Kurapika turned to go find his father, Pairo hot on his heals.

They broke the cover of the underbrush to see a small crowd around the corpse. Their twin fathers were among the very small crowd, black hair and intimidated eyes staring in disgust while the village Elder, their great-grandfather Luca, stared at the corpse, his expression unable to be read behind his silvery beard. There were two other men looking at the corpse.

"Father!" The two called, running over.

Yuhan and his younger brother John turned their heads towards their sons as they ran over.

"Pairo, Kurapika." John blinked, then his eyes panicked, "You two shouldn't be here, this is some very disgusting stuff!"

"Have you checked in on Shannon?" Yuhan asked, knowing he wouldn't be able to get them to turn back unless it was for something like that.

"Yeah." Kurapika nodded, "She says she's fine, but my Mom is still tending to her."

"Thank goodness." John sighed, relieved.

"Don't be thankful, you brat." Luca sounded like he was scowling, "The very reason we're alive is now being threatened."

"What?" The fathers and sons blinked at the old man.

Luca looked down at the corpse in disgust and yanked out Suana's arrow. He tossed it to one of the other men, "Clean that up with water, but don't do it in the river. That blood will pollute it." He turned to the other one, "Get the clan together for a hearing."

Both men went to do their jobs.

Yuhan looked at Pairo and the two blinked at each other.

Kurapika looked at John and they blinked.

This was weirder than anything else any of them had ever known.

…

By the end of it, everyone in the hall knew everything about the zombies that Pokkle and Ponzu had discovered and more. Some people had added in contributions, confirming if a theory they had was right or not. The people who hid in the kitchen were being lecture by the pair now.

Leorio, after making sure everyone injured was treated and the place was as clean as it was gonna get, walks over to Kite to see him talking with a few other students, teachers and Pokkle.

"You're certain the connection won't break?" Kite asked.

Pokkle nodded, "I re-worked the signal myself. So long as the building doesn't go dead, we can keep watch of the outside world for as long as we want."

The Instructor turns to another student, "Eeta, Elena, are the radios all available?"

Twin girls, one with blue hair, the other pink, "All the ones we salvaged from the Broadcasting Club are ready and able. Full batteries and 9 channels."

"What are you guys planning?" Leorio asked, walking over.

Kite turned to him, "We have to get as many people out of here as we can with as few consequences as we can manage. We plan to coordinate several teams using the cameras and radios to clear the parking lot. We'll get as many cars & busses as we can operating, then we'll leave the city."

Razor, a very scary Gym Instructor explained, "Before your group came, we got a radio call from Mr. Zeno Zoldyck, one of the funders of this establishment. He said if we were brave enough to dare, we could come to his mansion for refuge. No zombies have gotten into the Zoldyck establishment and their security doesn't rely on electricity, so it's our best bet for a safe place. Not even a nuclear war-head can break their defences."

"So that's where we're going?" Pietro asked, walking up.

Ponzu stepped forwards, "Once we complete the mission, yes."

"But you said we were gonna need teams." Leorio spoke up, "Everyone here is terrified, did you see how many people left when the clips started playing? I don't think you could force anyone to do this."

"That's why we plan to ask for volunteers." Kite stated, "I know everyone here is frightened, but if we want to live, we have to leave. Staying here will only hasten our demise."

"How many people are gonna willingly sign up for this?!" Leorio exclaimed in shock, "You can't seriously ask these guys to sign up for this!"

"I volunteer." Pietro stated.

Leorio stared at him in shock, "Are you nuts, Pietro, you could die!"

"But I'm dead anyway if I stay, right? We're all dead if we stand still." Pietro stated, turning to him, "We can't afford to hope the enemy will just leave if we bow down in fear to them. We have to take risks if we want to survive."

Leorio stared at him for a while, sighed, then raised his hand, "I volunteer, too. If this idiot's gonna do something stupid, I gotta be there to tell him 'I told you so'. Best friend jobs and stuff."

Pietro chuckled, "You just wanna make sure I don't die."

"Yeah, there's that two." Leorio agreed.

Kite smiled, "So we have our first volunteers."

"Let's hope that the kids and teachers left have their bravery and loyalty." Razor prayed, looking at all the people sitting curled up in a ball, hugging, crying, trying to smile, eating, working.

"Or that they're really, really stupid." Eeta and Elena chimed.

…

With the entire tribe gathered, Luca stood at the stop of a rock used for such events to ensure his voice was heard. Pairo, Shannon, Yuhan, Kurapika, Suana and John sat near the front. Everyone was still talking about the biting outside event.

Luca coughed.

Everyone was quiet.

"My siblings and children, my children's children and their children. I welcome you all to this desperate message that I must send to you all." Luca declared, "It is the reason, we as a people outcast ourselves from our fellow humans, all those years ago."

There was a tense silence.

"It started 1000 years ago. Back when the world was gripped in darkness and supernatural beings were humanity's greatest threat. There was no Kurta clan back then; but there was a powerful supernatural being named the Kurta. His eyes turned scarlet and anyone who stared into them would be compelled to do his complete and utter bidding, to be his slave. It worked on all; humans, vampires, anything that could see. However, the walking dead of the old world could not see. They heard and smelt but could not see. They came after the Kurta several times." Luca continued to explain, "But he had a trick up his sleeve; his blood."

"His blood was werewolf that had gone through a vampire's stomach, then was enchanted by a witch. It was a trap; it tasted sweet to all those who tried to drink it, but it killed the drinker after they'd taken enough into their system. Kurta blood protected one from vampires, the undead, anything with a thirst for blood.

"But Kurta did not want his magnificent blood to end with him. He wanted children to pass it on to, so they could use it to protect themselves from those that go bump in the night, then pass it on to their children. To do that, he needed willing mothers, too. Lots of them as well.

"Only using his red eyes if the women welcomed it, Kurta offered human women his protection if they promised to mother his children. He had several wives and even more children. They were, at first, also born with his scarlet eyes but those faded as did the supernatural world's influence on humans.

"Our kind knew we could not go back to our human ancestors for they would reject us. So the Kurta clan formed a village in the exact spot Kurta placed it for them.

"Now, it would appear the undead have risen from their graves once more to destroy the living. And our clan are the only ones immune to their poison even after all these years, as it was displayed by Shannon's body not becoming like the outsider's. We will be the vanguards in the living's fight to survive against this ancient enemy.

"Are you with me, my family?!"

Cheers broke out all through the grounds, Kurta's preparing for battle.

Kurapika and Pairo stared at each other, shocked.

…

"So here's the plan." Kite called, "Teams A and B will head for the field next to the parking lot to make as much noise as possible to bring as many of the Zombies over to them, hopefully clearing out much of the school and lot. Teams C and D will create a path when it's as clear as it's going to get, protecting the needed transportation. Team E will act as bodyguards to the students as they travel and allow them to get onto the school buses, as many at a time on as few busses as possible. The students will carry everything we will be taking with us. Once the busses are full, I will set off car alarms to bring the zombies attention back there, allowing Teams A and B to cross the field and then round back to the road where another bus will pick them up. Pokkle and Ponzu will monitor and coordinate everything. Everyone's job, no matter what it is, is very important so no slacking off, just get out. Is that clear?"

No one answered verbally. Everyone was frightened how this plan would go. Some people feared Teams A and B wouldn't even get to the field. Others feared Teams C and D would be overwhelmed anyway. A few even thought Team E or the students would freeze up and become useless dolls. Several were worried Kite wouldn't make it to the cars in time to save Teams A and B.

No one voiced their fear though because they had to do this if they wanted to live. It was their one shot out.

Pokkle turned back from his screen, "If you go through the gym field, you can make it to the one next to the car park safely. Remember, we need as much noise as possible, screaming, gunshots, guitars, anything you can manage."

"Is everything clear now?" Ponzu asked, "Everyone ready to go?"

No one answered. Either way, it was considered a yes because Teams A and B, led by Leorio and Pietro were slipping into the field. Some people were carrying the school band sound equipment, others had power tools with them. Anything that's noise but unnecessary was being taken with them.

"**Keep going, guys, you're doing fine.**" Pokkle spoke through the radio, "**There are a few up ahead, so start running but be quiet when you go past them. We don't want their attention yet.**"

Sure enough, once they turned the corner there were about 5 zombies loitering about on the field. Leorio looked to the people in his group; many of them looked like they were terrified just at seeing these few.

But they all hurried along, quietly. No one made a sound and those few who looked back saw the zombies heads turn towards them. They didn't make a sound though, just got tugged along by a friend if they froze.

They turned another corner to see the parking lot and-

"Shit." Leorio hissed through his teeth.

-there were a lot more of them than when he checked earlier with Pietro, Pokkle and Ponzu. They were all just wandering around, bored out of their minds. It was still creepy as hell.

"Do we start screaming now?" Khara, a girl in Leorio's group asked, shaking.

Leorio turned to them all and shook his head, "Fix up the sound stuff first that can make noise on it own or be left to itself even if it should have a controller. Our goal is to make noise, not risk our lives any more than we have to."

"He's right. Start with the speakers." Pietro ordered, "Those will be the loudest thing here after all."

With that, the groups silently started working. The 5 zombies they'd ran past in the field were starting to get closer and some of the ones on the edge of the parking lot were turning their heads. It had to be their sense of smell leading them to them.

"Set." Barry whispered, "We just gotta turn them on now and start screaming."

Pietro nodded and turned to the entire group, no longer speaking quietly, "You heard the man! Scream!"

With that, the speakers turned on and played "Love Addict" by Family Force 5 repeatedly. It was shrieky and loud, but it got the zombies' attention without a doubt. The power tools were turned on and whoever brought an instrument played it.

The hoard started heading towards them, clearing out the parking lot steadily.

"Leorio, do we start shooting yet?" Kess asked.

"Go for it!" Pietro called.

With that, gun fire also joined the sounds all around.

…

"How kind of you to reveal yourselves to us, Kurta!"

Heads turned upwards to where several people in black trench coats were walking into the village, an ominus aura following them.

"Who are you?!" One of the villages call, "How did you find us?!"

"We followed the scent of her blood and the dissolving corpse." One of the people said, voice distinctly feminine but bossy and mad, "It really wasn't half as hard as it should have been."

Lua gasped loudly.

"Elder, what's wrong?" Suana called.

"Th-the-they-they're Vampires!" Lua yelled, "Children, you need to escape! They won't show you any mercy! Ru-"

He didn't get to finish. His head was sliced clean off his neck mid sentence.

There was only a second of silence before-

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

-screaming, running and yelling commenced, panic setting deep into every person's blood. Pairo and Kurapika were running with their parents towards the edge of the village, people after them. They didn't turn around to watch their distant relatives being slaughtered, the sounds alone would haunt their nightmares, forever. It was all a blur of panic and running, flames erupting everywhere.

Kurapika had no idea what was going on around him, he couldn't think calmly, he couldn't think at all. He watched as his father got dragged back, but his mother pushed him on, the same thing happening to Shannon hardly a few seconds later. Kurapika desperately reached for Pairo's hand and ran faster and faster, scared, scared out of his mind while his mother and Yuhan forced them both onwards.

They reached the river in no time at all.

"Get on the Lusko Birds!" Suana instructed, picking Kurapika up and putting him on the nearest one.

"Mom, what about you?!" Kurapika yelled as Pairo was put on the same bird as him.

"We'll catch up, just go!" Suana slapped the bird's tail hard, "HEYA!"

The Lusko Bird broke off into a sprint, following the river downwards. It crossed the river at some point when it would have followed the waterfall downwards if it kept going in that direction.

It was nightfall that finally brought about speech from either of them.

"Dad and Aunt Suana didn't follow us." Pairo murmured into Kurapika's back, clenching him tightly around his middle, "Neither did anyone else."

"I know." Kurapika stated, numb.

"Those Vampires could come after us again." The brunette continued, "Or anyone else who knows about our blood."

"I know." The blonde repeated, voice breaking.

"We could die any second now." The shorter boy whimpered, "There's no place safe for us now."

"I know." The taller boy said again, voice dissolving into tears.

The bird continued to trot along through the night as the cousins cried for their home, family and the death of their old world.

…

The plan had worked. Teams C, D and E managed to pull off their tasks while Teams A and B kept them distracted while protecting their entire group.

Leorio saw Pokkle and Ponzu, the very last people who needed to, getting into the buss.

"Guys!" Leorio called over the gunfire, "Pokkle and Ponzu are safe, that's our cue to cut the noise!"

The speakers, tools and everything besides the guns stopped, that didn't deter the horde though.

"Leorio, there's too many of them!" Kastro yelled, "Where's surrounded and running out of ammo!"

He looked around frantically, then spotted a possible safe space, "There! There's an emergency ladder that'll take us to the school's roof!"

"But there's an entire horde in the way!" Goreinu reported, "How to we get passed that?!"

Menchi smiled at him, "A lot of this stuff can be pretty explosive if set aflame."

"I have a lighter!" Pietro called.

"I got matchest!" Leorio added in.

"Great!" Menchi barked, "Throw them to me! Buhara, get me to the speakers!"

"Gotcha!" They called.

Pietro and Leorio tossed the Catering Student and Gymnast their flammable items. She smiled at them, grabbed one of the tools off the ground, who then ran to Buhara. He put his gun down, being covered by Hanzo and when Menchi got close to him, she jumped into his hands and he threw her onto the stacked speakers. She landed with the grace of a butterfly and pulled out of her cleavage some kind of oil. She poured it over the tool, lit a match with the lighter, then pressed it to the oil.

Menchi threw it in the direction of the ladder, "FIRE IN THE HOLE!"

BBBBBBBBBBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMM!

There was a massive explosion that probably left Leorio deaf for a few moments, but it gave them their opening so he ordered, "RUN!"

And everyone did. They ran for the ladder, fastest people climbing up first and those who got there a little later formed a perimeter with their guns to keep the zombies at bay. It wasn't needed for long though since people didn't bother lingering in the way and shot down at the suckers from the roof. It didn't take long to ensure everyone was safely up.

Suddenly, car alarms starting going off. Everyone turned their heads to see Kite vandalizing all the cars on the property, three busses gone.

"That's our cue!" Hanzo called, "Let's go! And be quiet."

Everyone nodded and ran for the other side of the building. They climbed down another emergency ladder and ran until they reached the school gates, where they jumped over them at the sight of the buss.

Leorio and Pietro encouraged everyone else to get on first, quietly calling 'Go, go, go'. They were ready to leave-

"HELP ME! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! HELP!"

They turned their heads to see a little girl was running towards them, a zombie behind her who was also running but wasn't tripping like the others they'd seen before him did. Terror was in her face but she had her eyes closed as she ran.

"Shit, we can't just leave her." Leorio muttered.

Pietro ran forwards, "Tell them to wait for us!"

"Pietro!" The med student called, then cursed.

"Leorio, we need to go, now!" Hanzo yelled.

"No without Pietro or the kid!" Leorio yelled back.

"Shouldn't we being quiet?" Khara asked them.

The two pouted in silence at that.

Back with Pietro, he saw the little girl trip and fall flat on her face. The zombie went for a jump, diving in for the kill when Pietro punched the sucker in the chest, blowing him back from the kid.

"Kid, are you alright?" Pietro asked, helping her up.

"Ye-yes." She whimpered.

"Good. Now," He picked her up and turned forwards, "hang onto me tight!"

He started running and the zombie he punched came after them. Some people came out of the buss to try to shoot the thing but it was too fast and it was gonna get them and-

"AHHHH!"

"Run, kid run! ARGUH!"

"PIETRO!" Leorio screamed.

Pietro had thrown the girl forwards, knowing the zombie was right on their tail. The zombie had his teeth into Pietro's neck and it wasn't letting go no matter how hard he screamed.

Leorio saw red.

He picked up some pole that used to be a sign probably and ran forwards, thrusting it into the zombie's head and right out the other end. The med student grabbed his friend and pulled him along. He grabbed the girl and all three of them got onto the bus.

It took off frantically.

Leorio hunched over panting, then turned his head towards the girl, "Are you okay?"

She whimpered into her hands, but nodded all the same.

"Good." He turned to Pietro who looked a little pale, "Pietro, you okay?"

"You idiot!" Pietro yelled, startling him, "I've been bitten, what possessed you-what fucking possessed you to save me?!"

"Uh, you're my best friend, remember? You're tough, you can fight it, right?" Leorio stated, voice becoming unsure, "Pietro, you'll find a way to survive okay? I, I'm sure the Zoldycks are already well on their way to finding a cure, I mean, they're crazy tycoons so they must have the best men on the job already. You're gonna live, buddy."

Pietro, whose face was turning paler with each second, gave him a hopeless look, "It's too late for me, man. I'm not gonna make it."

"No, no don't say that. Pietro, you're gonna make it, I, I'll find a cure, I sweat it Pietro!" Leorio spoke frantically.

"Just kill me, please. I don't wanna die as one of those things." Pietro requested, "I wanna still be me to the end."

Leorio looked at his best friend in heartbreak, "Pietro-"

Pietro then leaned over the flour to puke blood onto the road, turning back to him looking more like one of them, "Do it, Leorio!"

"Pietro, you can't seriously," Leorio looked around frantically, "Just let us get you to a doctor or something!"

"LEORIO DO IT!" Pietro grabbed a mini-hand gun and put it to his head, "PULL THE TRIGGER OR I WILL!"

Leorio could only stare for a few moments as what was left of Pietro began to slip away.

Then he grabbed the gun in his friend's hand and pulled the trigger.

The blood splattered outside where the bullet had gone, Pietro's head also over the edge and the insides of his brain made a trail of blood all along the road.

Leorio looked at his shaking hands, the gun clattering to the flour.

Then he covered his face with his hands and screamed in anguish, Pietro's name falling from his lips repeatedly as he curled in on himself. The little girl Pietro saved cried even harder into her hands, Menchi and Buhara coming to comfort her. Hanzo grabbed a sack and as gently as he could put Pietro's body into it.

Leorio hardly noticed a thing though. All he knew was Pietro was gone and it was all his fault.

…

Kurapika and Pairo travelled around together for a while. They saw cities that would have once excited them to no end, were now reduced to nothing but a maze of death and desperation. Villages once so innocent and rural now nothing but temporary homes for those who thought they could escape the dead (but learned the hard way they couldn't).

They kept their heads down and if they encountered other survivors, they avoided them. They wanted to help but they didn't know if they were vampires either or if they would trust them.

But it appears they would be chased after regardless…

"Uh oh." Pairo muttered.

"What's wrong, Pairo?" Kurapika asked, halting the Lusko Bird, "Do you need to pee or something?"

"My canteen's empty." The brunette confessed.

The blonde blinked, "That's odd, you filled it only half an hour ago. You didn't drink from it either."

"Maybe it has a hole?" Pairo looked it over, "Though I can't see one. I know I didn't drink or drop it."

Kurapika frowned then turned to his friend, "Well, either way, we can't be short on water. Let's head back to the river and refill."

Pairo nodded, "Oka-"

Kurapika felt a sharp pain in his neck then he blacked out.

The time he spent knocked out couldn't have been long because when he woke up his surroundings were the same but-

"Pairo?" He called, sitting up.

No answer.

Becoming frantic, the blonde looked around and saw the last thing he ever would have wanted to see.

A splatter of blood in the spot Pairo had been standing, an arm that looked very much like Pairo's in the centre of the blood pool.

Kurapika screamed.

…

It was a good thing nothing major happened on their journey to the Zoldyck mansion; Leorio was numb all over and he wasn't sure he would have been able to do anything useful.

They travelled all night and day, stopping only to refill their tanks of oil, water, whatever it was they were short on. Leorio was offered the chance to drive, but he didn't give any kind of answer to the offer so it was given to someone else.

They reached the mansion two days after their escape from the school.

"Leorio." Komugi, the blind girl Pietro had rescued, shook his shoulder, "We're here. We need to help them."

Leorio stood up, feeling as if he wasn't even in his body anymore, like a puppeteer was controlling his flesh for him.

Hanzo walked over to him and pointed to the place where luggage would normally be stored, "Pietro's body is there. We'll see if we can give him a burial."

"Thank you." Leorio said, the first words he'd spoken in the last 48 hours.

Hanzo gave him a sympathetic smile and went out the nearest exit. Leorio walked over to the sack that Pietro's body was in. It smelt awful but it had clearly been as looked after as it could have. Leorio would have to thank everyone for putting up with it once he felt he could.

He picked up the sack in his arms and used the nearest exit to leave. Once he stepped outside, he saw Kite and Hanzo approaching a man; he appeared old, with a large stomach and was bald, but he had a kind smile. Leorio decided that was probably where he should be.

"Thank you for offering us your estate, sir." Hanzo bowed deeply, then straightened, "As you can tell, we could very much do with the accommodation."

"It's no trouble at all young man, we're happy to have you." The man smiled, "I am Zebro. I merely look after the gate."

"I'm Kite, I was an Art Instructor at the school. This is Hanzo, he was a Gymnastics student." Kite then gestured to Leorio, "This is Leorio, he was studying medicine. As you can see though, he lost someone. Is there anyway we could arrange a burial?"

Zebro gave Leorio a sympathetic smile, "I know how he feels, I lost a lot of friends when this happened, too. I can't promise to bury the body, but we'll make a headstone at least."

"Thank you, sir." Leorio murmured, his throat feeling too dry to say much more.

Zebro smiled and then walked towards the doors. He pushed them open then another man appeared to hold them.

"Come along, now, we mustn't waste time." Zebro called, "The master will want to meet all of you."

With that, they spent the rest of the afternoon bringing in their stuff from the buses and then carrying it to the closest cabin, which was about a mile away. By dusk, everything was in and the buses were parked so they weren't in the way of the gate. There wasn't enough room in the cabins for all the students to sleep so a lot of them made themselves at home outside since it was clear. Just to be safe though, Zebro, Kite and Seaquant, the man who helped with opening the gate, set up a mack to keep any possible rain off the students and provided them with spare pillows and mattresses. Everyone slept uncomfortably close to each other for warmth. Leorio was still numb though.

…

Kurapika had no idea where his feet were taking him. To find sanctuary? Death? A new purpose in life? Not that there was anything worth living for in this new and hellish world now that Pairo was gone.

Whenever he saw the undead, he's blow their heads off, no problem, no thought. Just do it. He'd use his swords sometimes, other times guns if he was feeling particularly depressed.

He just wanted it all to end.

Too fucking bad his blood wouldn't let him die the easy way and he had to starve himself. That was much more painful, slow and pathetic; his body also refused to allow him to become too starved to follow through with that. He'd see an animal and slice it up before it knew what hit it or himself. Becoming a zombie wasn't the best way but it sure looked quick and simple, at least that way he wouldn't have been able to fight it.

Fuck his blood.

"HELP! SOMEBODY! ANYBODY! HELP!"

Turning his head towards the sound of the screaming, he saw a large horde of the undead heading towards gunfire. It flashed brightly, lighting up the blood-stained sky with yellow fire light. It really couldn't hurt to investigate, could it? He might even get shot. That would be the simplest way to die.

Mind made up, the blonde walked around the corner and saw a group of people were completely pinned down. They were fighting back with blades and guns, but it was clear they were all going to be eaten alive.

Kurapika had no idea when he started moving.

The next thing he knew he'd cut a zombie's head off while one ran behind and bit into his neck. Hissing in pain, he dropped his sword to throw the fucker over his shoulder, kick it back into his hands and slice his head off. A few others came in to bite him, he let some of them get to him but he cut off all their heads. It seemed they all wanted nothing more than to drink him dry now, as if the other humans were nothing but monkeys. That suited Kurapika just fine. While being bitten was painful at best, it wasn't the same for any other humans now.

He was the last Kurta left. He may as well play his part to protect the living. That's probably what his family would have wanted.

Maybe it took 15 to 20 minutes to get all the suckers' dead since the other humans either ran out of ammo or forgot their blades can still cut these guys.

All he knew was he was standing in the middle of a mind field of dead bodies, all of them decapitated, blood and bite wounds all over his body. It wasn't something new to him as of late.

He looked at the humans he'd saved and actually took in their appearance this time.

A tall man wearing a open, sleeveless leather jacket leaving him bare-chest, putting his prominent abdominal muscles on display, a pair of faded blue jeans and black boats. For hair, he had a brown pompadour, mustache and sideburns, similar to a Franz Josef style with black eyes and tanned skin. He had a gun with him.

There was a 16-year-old girl with blue hair tied back with a yellow bow, blue eyes and a rather petite figure. She was wearing a pink and red striped top and a plain white dress, as well as very large purple shoes. She looked like a spoilt brat, not carrying any weapons and was probably the one who screamed.

A skinny man dressed in typical Chinese clothing, caught his eye next. He had brown hair and eyes, along with paleish skin. He held two blades in his hands and couldn't stop gawking. The same could be said for all of the above mentioned people, but still. Kurapika really shouldn't blame them though, considering it's not everyday you see a guy get bitten and survive.

Finally, a short and stocky woman with balding grey hair, straight and to her shoulders. Her front teeth were pronounced and protrude much like a rodent's, her eyes orange and her skin was sickly pale. She was wearing a long sleeved dark blue dress, a green hood that looked like flower-petals, grey leggings and brown shoes. She looked surprised to see him. Not shocked, horrified, or any other negative form of the emotion; just surprised.

That was all he knew about this group before he collapsed face down in the concrete and blood.

…

Leorio was relieved when the Scavenger Teams started coming back with tents. While sleeping outside was fun and all (according to Gon and Killua it was, but he disagreed), some people really needed somewhere to keep the rain, wind and cold off them at night. He was even happier when Killua persuaded his parents to let him set up a clinic, a proper building clinic, in the general area where the refugees lived.

Leorio was probably happiest when he was appointed a position in the clinic along with the other med students and the family doctor. He was learning a lot from being there with everyone and he was starting to feel like there was some hope in the future for them. That they were going to survive this stupid apocalypse. That a cure would be made soon enough, or something that would ensure those who hadn't been infected wouldn't be infected.

"LEORIO!" Neon screamed, running into the clinic.

Internally groaning (God almighty, he hated this spoilt baby), he turned around and gave her a look of concern, "What's wrong, Neon?"

"I, I went on a mission with Melody, Basho an-and Linssen into the nearest city an-and it was so scary!" She burst into tears, "We were surrounded, low on ammo and I-I couldn't stop crying I was so useless, I was suppose to help them this time but I was useless again! We, we were all gonna die when the craziest thing happened!"

Blinking, interest now peaked, Leorio gave her his undivided attention, "What happened?"

"This really, really hot guy showed up out of nowhere and started slicing off every head he could see! It was amazing, I'd never seen anything like it ever! He got bit probably 50 times but he hardly paid it any attention, as if it was just an insect bite!" She waved her arms around dramatically, "He fought all on his own for a solid 20 minutes, got bit a thousand times and after they were all dead he collapsed but… He didn't turn. Leorio, the guy who saved us was immune."

"You're sure of that?!" Leorio jumped out of the seat he'd been in.

She nodded rapidly, "We chained him up in an abandoned building for 12 hours straight and all he did was sleep! He didn't turn, he didn't attack, he didn't even wake up at the sound of his own growling stomach! We had to force him awake to feed him!"

"Where is he, now?!" He demanded.

"With Basho and Melody, they're on their way here to get him checked out by you!" Neon replied.

"Shit, I don't even know where to start!" Leorio was running around the office, looking for any equipment he might need, "Do I run a physical or ask him questions?! Will he even sit still long enough for either of those?!"

"He's been passed out since we gave him food, so he should be fine to sit still for the physical." Melody stated as she walked in, Basho right behind her.

"Put him on the table for me, would ya, Basho?" Leorio asked, looking after his shoulder.

"You got it." Basho put the body on the table, "Now what?"

"Take a seat, I might need to ask you guys about him." The med student stated, coming over with a clipboard and pen.

He looked at the young man on the table and started taking notes, poking, prodding and checking at times if there was anything he couldn't see, "Age; 19. Hair; natural blonde, neck length, straight. Sex; male. Eye colour; green. Did any of you get his name?"

"No." They all said.

"Too bad." Leorio murmured, "Blood type; AB. Weight; 59kg. Height; 171cm. Nationality; unobvious, but will be found out later. Several bite wounds by the undead, but has yet to turn well beyond the 12 hour mark. No other obvious injuries."

He asked a few more questioned, noted a few more things, checked a couple things out, then decided that was enough and to get the guy to a proper bed would be best.

…

Kurapika woke up in a bed. The first time since this whole mess started, he woke up in a bed, slightly raised from the flour, a quilt over his body keeping him warm, a pillow under his head.

Something was very, very wrong here.

Sitting up straight, he spotted some curtains, a window behind him pouring in sunlight, a blue chair and a bedside table with a vase full of violets. Seemed way too cozy for something like him.

The curtains pulled back as someone walked in, "Glad to see you're up now. You need anything?"

Kurapika stared at the person at first. Way too tall, tanned skin, stuple on the sides of his jaw, black glasses that kept slipping down his nose, olive eyes. Wearing a suit under a lab coat, minus the blazer that would have definitely been with it. Smiling kindly, something Pairo used to do no matter what.

Kurapika looked at his hands and refused to look at the new occupant.

"So, my name's Leorio and I'm kinda a doctor here." The guy took the seat and smiled, "Now it's your turn."

Kurapika refused to say a word.

"Oh, sorry, are you mute? Or deaf?" Leorio started signing as he spoke now.

Kurapika shook his head.

"Oh, okay then, so you'd just rather not talk?" He checked.

Kurapika nodded.

Leorio smiled softly, "That's okay. I'm gonna have to get a nod or two though because I have some questions I really need to ask you. Also, if I give you a note-pad, can you tell me your name?"

Kurapika shook his head.

"Can you say it for a second then? I promise, you don't have to say another word if you don't want to." Leorio offered.

The blonde looked into his lap then turned his eyes toward Leorio, "Kurapika."

"Well, Kurapika it's nice to meet you." Leorio offered him a hand, "Welcome to Kukuroo Mountain, home of the Zoldyck family."

Kurapika blinked owlishly at the hand and reached out for it. Leorio took it and started shaking it. With that, Leorio started examining him and he focused half of his attention to the questions he was asked and the other half to the flowers in his room.

Violets.

The flower of mourning. Like spilt blood on a battlefield, but it's fragrance too soothing to be considered malicious. In his village, when one of their own died, they would burn the bodies to allow the spirit freedom, then mix the ashes with violets and toss them into the river. So the body of the dearly departed may be returned to the earth that nurtured it and rest in peace until it was needed once more.

"Why do you grow violets here?" Kurapika asked.

"Well, they have some value as major ingredients of pain killers but mostly for brightening the place up." Leorio smiled, "If you wanna use some for other things, I think I can convince the Gardening team that we don't need all of them."

Kurapika blinked for a few minutes.

Smiled his first smile after Pairo left him.

Opened his mouth to speak first in Kurta, then repeat his words in English:

"Thank you, Leorio."


	5. Scarlet X Passion

**(AN: Why am I not surprised the only thing I could do for this prompt was smut? Kidding! Honestly, this was a tough one to write all in all, I had to skip it, go back, skip again way too many times. But it's here now. It's crap, but it's here.)**

"Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for Kurapika Kurta and Leorio Paladiknight!"

Applause filled the auditorium, cheers going up among those excited enough to ignore their shame. The lights for the audience dimmed while the lights on the stage flashed to life, revealing two young men.

One was a tall, black haired man with glasses, tanned skin and olive eyes. He wore a pristine black suit, looking just as classy as the piano he sat at. His smile was kind and he could see his cousin Gon, his cousin's boyfriend Killua and his cousin's boyfriend's sister Alluka in the crowd.

The other man had short blonde hair, green eyes and pale skin. He wore an equally pristine suit, his violin in one hand, a bow in the other. He also smiled towards a particular part of the audience, probably his family or friends.

The two looked to each other, nodded and began playing their instruments.

The passion in every note was stronger than a lovers' dance beneath the sheets, but it passed over the audience like a gentle breeze, whisking them away to a wondrous place where no one hated or cried. It left them breathless and completely captivated.

Kurapika the violinist smiled at Leorio the pianist and Leorio smiled back, caught up in the passion of the song and the look in Kurapika's now scarlet eyes.

Those same scarlet eyes that would look at him with so much love when they would play together in private and they could channel their passion in things other than their instruments.

Those same scarlet eyes that encouraged him with the simple fact of their existence.

Those same scarlet eyes that saved him all those years ago.

…

_Being covered in blood was a normal thing for Leorio. He was a doctor in the underworld, there was always a bullet needing to be removed from someone, always some stitches needing to be sown. Admitably Leorio was getting sick of the colour._

_That didn't mean he wanted to see his scarlet life force dripping from his own body._

"_So that's why they tell you to be careful of what you wish for." Leorio mused, darkly. He looked up at the raining sky, "Can't believe this is how I'm checking out. Stabbed by my own patient after saving his life with my own knife."_

_He scoffed, "How pathetic."_

_He thought of things._

_He thought of Gon, waiting home with Mito for him to return alive._

_He thought of Killua, travelling the city, looking for somewhere to hide for the night._

_He thought of Alluka, praying for Killua while playing dollies with Kaluto and both of them hoping Illumi not Miluki spot them._

_He thought of Pietro, up in heaven, waiting for Leorio to join him._

_He closed his eyes-_

"_Oh my God, are you okay?!"_

_-only to be greeted by a pair of the most beautiful green eyes he'd ever seen. Inside the most beautiful face he'd ever seen. Framed by the most beautiful blonde hair he'd ever seen. _

_Is this guy an angel?_

"_Hang on, I'll help you." The blonde spoke softly and closed his eyes._

_His body started glowing and he opened his eyes, which made Leorio gasp._

_They were scarlet._

_Leorio felt both his body and face fill with warmth. The colour was so beautiful, so gentle. It felt so warm and welcoming, yet it felt firey and passionate._

_Suddenly, Leorio loved the colour scarlet._

…

Those same scarlet eyes had saved him many times before, just as they did now in the opera house.

They saved him from insecurity.

They saved him from doubt.

They saved him from death.

Kurapika Kurta saved him.

A hush fell as they ended their duet.

Then the stadium erupted with cheers. The two smiled and gave the audience a bow before continuing their passionate performance, fuelled by the scarlet eyes, their crimson blood and burning hearts.


	6. Pink X Innocence

(**AN: This was too easy. And possibly too short, but I don't care. I think I'm getting lazy now.**)

9-year-old Leorio liked playing at the park. Sure, he was becoming a big kid now, but there was always a new friend to make or a new game to play. He possibly spotted someone who fitted the first description.

A short blonde boy sitting with his back to a tree, reading in the shade. Only he hadn't turned the page in the last five minutes he'd been sitting there and he looked really sad.

And as a future doctor, it was Leorio's job to make people happy, no matter what!

He walked over to the boy, checking the rest of his appearance as he went. He looked about 7 years old. His eyes were green and while they were turned towards the book, they didn't pay much attention to the words; they were glazed over as if he was actually somewhere far away. His skin was kinda pale, but not in a bad way and he was dressed in a blue and orange shirt with long sleeves and white trousers and blue shoes. He was also kinda cute.

So Leorio gave him the friendliest smile he had as he waved, "Hey!"

The boy blinked, as if shocked out of a dream and then looked up at Leorio in surprise. He blushed a little as he kept staring. Leorio didn't mind though. He was pretty handsome, or at least, that's what his Mom told him.

"What's your name? Do you wanna play with me?" Leorio offered the boy his hand, "You looked a little bored over here, all alone."

The blonde blinked then turned his head down, hiding his face, "Mr. Chrollo says I'm not suppose to talk to the other kids."

"Really? Why's that?" Leorio sat down with the boy.

"He says it makes him mad to see me talking to them." The blonde whimpered, "I don't like making Mr. Chrollo mad."

Leorio's eyes narrowed, "Where is Mr. Chrollo now?"

The boy looked up nervously, looking around, "He's talking to Miss. Machi, over there."

Following the boy's finger, Leorio saw a pink haired woman talking to a man in a black suit with black hair. He didn't even glance over on occasion to see how the boy was doing.

Leorio grinned, turning back, "You wanna run off then?"

"What?!" The boy asked in surprise, "But what if we get in trouble?"

"We won't get in trouble if he never catches us." Leorio stood up and offered his hand to the boy, "Come on."

The boy looked at his hand hesitantly, then turned his attention towards this Chrollo character. He gave a firm nod and grabbed Leorio's hand tightly.

Leorio yanked him to his feet and the two ran off into the woods. Leorio started laughing as he ran and the other boy joined in with tiny little giggles that seemed to bubble out of him. It was really, really cute. Maybe a little too cute.

Eventually, they came to a stop in a clearing, hands on their knees and panting.

The boy straightened as he laughed, then smiled and offered his hand, "I'm Kurapika. What's your name?"

Leorio smiled as he stood up, "Leorio. Leorio Paladiknight."

They gripped each other's' hands, shaking them firmly.

Blinking, Kurapika showed off one of the most surprised faces Leorio had ever seen and pointed, "Leorio, look!"

Turning his head, Leorio gasped. There was a field of pink roses right behind them, white butterflies flying around them.

"Wow!" Leorio ran over to the flowers.

Kurapika reached them first, kneeling before them, "They're so pretty!"

"Dido!" Leorio nodded enthusiastically.

Kurapika smiled at the roses and butterflies, brushing some of his hair behind his ear. He looked so happy and cute. No, that wasn't quite the right word. He was beautiful. He went to pick one of them, but brought his finger back quickly, exclaiming in pain.

"What's wrong, did you prick yourself?" Leorio asked, reaching out his hand for Kurapika's, "Let me see it."

Kurapika smiled and offered his hand to Leorio, "It doesn't hurt, I've felt way worse before."

Leorio took his hand and examined the cut. It was a proper scratch, not a long one, but bleeding deeply from the looks. Kurapika didn't appear to be in pain though.

"I think it'll be okay. It does look like nothing but a scratch. But to be on the safe side..." Leorio reached into his pocket and took out a plaster and an antiseptic wipe. He cleaned the scratch, then put the plaster over it, putting the rubbish back into his pocket. He smiled at Kurapika, who was blinking at him.

Leorio smiled back, then an idea hit him.

"Hey, Kurapika, do you want one of the flowers?" He asked.

Kurapika blinked, "Yeah, I guess do."

Leorio smiled, then pulled out a pair of scissors, "Let me get one then."

With that, Leorio went for the specific flower Kurapika had been reaching for. He took a hold of the stem and cut it. Then trimmed off the thorns. Finally, he offered it to Kurapika, smiling boyishly.

Kurapika was blushing to the tips of his ears when he took the offered flower, smiling back with tiny tears in the corners of his eyes.

That was the start of their beautiful friendship.


	7. Gold X Achievements

(**AN: You can thank my brother's babysitter for this one. I'm also Voltron trash right now. And Halloween is the best holiday ever, you can not argue with me on this.**)

"**And the winners of the costume party are….**" The crowd held their breath as headmaster Netero dressed as a werewolf made the announcement, "**Kurapika Kurta and Leorio Paladinight as Keith and Lance from Voltron: Legendary Defender!**"

The two mentioned spat out their drinks in surprise as cheers erupted from the crowd, dressed in the Paladin uniform of their respective characters. Leorio blushed deeply, standing still in shock while Kurapika merely coughed, adjusting his shirt as his face flushed. Some of the girls who were also dressed as characters from Voltron snickered and muttered about them being Klance shippers since it was a well spread rumour that there was sexual tension between Leorio and Kurapika.

Leorio looked around in shock and spotted Killua who was dressed as Allura snickering while Gon who was dressed as Shiro waved encouragingly. They were linking hands.

Those manipulative little shits had entered them into the costume party!

"**And you know what that means, folks!**" Netero chuckled, "**It's time for the Halloween dance to be started by our two kings!**"

Cheers erupted again as slow music started up.

Kurapika took initiative, walked towards Leorio and started dancing with him, practically dragging Leorio into the moves, since he was still shell shocked. Still, Leorio managed to dance along, looking down at his stupidly short partner.

"I'm not short, you're ridiculously tall." Kurapika shot back, hardly any bark thanks to the flush of his cheeks.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I just… fuck." Leorio murmured, blushing to the tops of his ears, "I can't dance."

"That's been quite obvious from the start." The blonde stated, "I can't either, though."

"You're doing better than me, you're actually moving on your own." The black-head offered, "I would be paralyzed if you weren't moving me about."

"Only reason I can move at all is because Melody warned me Killua and Gon set us up. About five minutes before the announcement." The 'Red Paladin' said, "I didn't think we'd actually win though."

"Really? You look great. Just like Keith actually." The 'Blue Paladin' blinked, "Honestly, I thought you would have gone for Pidge though, I mean, you two are a lot alike."

"Funny, I thought you would have dressed as Hunk. Out of all of Team Voltron, I see the most of you in him, honestly." Kurapika chuckled, "You're definitely caring enough for the role."

"So why Keith then? I'll tell you why I did Lance." Leorio offered.

The blonde shrugged a little, "I suppose I saw my short temper and a few other things to relate to in Keith, though I do suppose Pidge would've fit better. Especially considering the fandom's confusion about my gender and their's."

"Way to break the fourth wall there, Kurapika." The black-head scoffed, "Okay, I picked Lance because I saw myself in his shitty jokes and memes along with his luck with the ladies. Also, I've felt for the longest time that he's been bisexual, so yeah."

The song finally stopped and the two walked to the front to take off their helmets. They were replaced by their gold crowns and they waved at the crowd who gave them a final apploud before they were forgotten as "Calling All the Monsters" started up.

This time when they danced, it felt a lot easier to get by without feeling awkward.


End file.
